Former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan dies at 101
Former Kerala Chief Minister and veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan, one of India’s most respected Communist figures and a key presence in Kerala’s political history, died on Monday at the age of 101, drawing the curtain on an eight-decade-long fierce struggle for the proletariat that the southern state had witnessed.
The veteran leader died at 3.20 PM while undergoing treatment in the critical care unit of Pattom SUT Hospital, according to an official bulletin issued by the hospital.
Achuthanandan had been receiving treatment since June 23, following a cardiac arrest.
A founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Achuthanandan was a lifelong champion of workers’ rights, land reforms, and social justice.
Kerala’s Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011
He served as Kerala’s Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011 and was elected to the state Assembly seven times, serving three terms as Leader of the Opposition.
Speaking to reporters at the hospital, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that after the body is kept at the AKG Study and Research Centre here for people to pay tribute later in the day, it will be taken to his residence, and then to the Durbar Hall on Tuesday morning for the public to pay homage. Later, his mortal remains will be taken to Alappuzha.
Achuthanandan’s cremation will take place at the public crematorium in Alappuzha Valiya Chudukadu by Wednesday noon, he said.
Thousands of people, including senior citizens, youngsters, women, and students, thronged the busy road in front of the old AKG Centre here to catch a final glimpse of the Marxist veteran when his body was brought there from the hospital.
Despite the late hour, the former party headquarters witnessed an unprecedented rush, as ordinary citizens and party workers gathered to pay their last respects when his body was placed there for the first public homage.
Earlier in the day, following reports of his deteriorating health, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) leaders rushed to the hospital.
While Left party leaders and activists reminisced about the influence of “Comrade VS" in shaping their political lives and ideologies, his political opponents praised his uncompromising stance against corruption, his rare Communist values, and the friendships he maintained beyond politics.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar described Achuthanandan as a “towering figure" in Indian politics and a stalwart of the Communist movement.
Chief Minister Vijayan noted that Achuthanandan was a symbol of a vibrant tradition of struggle, extraordinary determination, and an uncompromising fighting spirit. He said Achuthanandan’s century-long life during which he stood with ordinary people and took up their concerns is inextricably linked with the modern history of Kerala.
Born on October 20, 1923, in Punnapra
Born on October 20, 1923, in Punnapra, a coastal village in Alappuzha district, Achuthanandan’s early life was marked by hardship and poverty. He lost his mother at the age of four and his father while still in school, forcing him to abandon his studies after Class VII. He briefly worked in a textile shop and later as a labourer in a coir factory.
His political journey began in the 1940s, inspired by legendary Communist leader P Krishna Pillai. In 1943, he represented Alappuzha at the Communist Party conference.
During the 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar uprising, he went underground and was later arrested and severely beaten. Believed to be dead by the police, he was about to be buried in the forest when it was discovered he was still alive and taken to the hospital.
Despite being tortured during the 1946 uprising, he returned to political activism. In 1956, he joined the party’s state committee and steadily rose to hold key national positions. In 1964, he was among the 32 national council members who split from the Communist Party to form the CPI(M), a pivotal moment in Indian Left politics. He joined the party’s central committee the same year and was inducted into the Politburo in 1985.
A no-nonsense leader
Achuthanandan became known for his integrity, sharp speeches in colloquial Malayalam, and firm stance against corruption, land grabs, and misuse of power.
Even in his later years, he remained immensely popular and widely respected for his dedication to ordinary people. He built a reputation as a straight-talking, no-nonsense leader who consistently raised his voice on public issues–from environmental protection to women’s rights.
At one point, he was removed from the Politburo for publicly criticising the party’s official line. For Achuthanandan, ideology was not something he simply believed in–it was something he had lived through.
When the Left Democratic Front returned to power, he was denied the chief minister’s post. The party, citing internal decisions, accused him of a “factionalist mindset" and chose Pinarayi Vijayan instead.
India