V.S. Achuthanandan to be laid to rest at historic Valiya Chudukadu, next to his party comrades
There was an unprecedented surge of mourners from all walks of life as Achuthanandan’s mortal remains were brought to his hometown | Manorma
The last rites of former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will be held at the Valiya Chudukad public crematorium in Alappuzha on Wednesday evening.
The 101-year-old veteran communist leader breathed his last on Monday while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He had been receiving treatment since June 23 following a cardiac arrest.
There was an unprecedented surge of mourners from all walks of life as Achuthanandan’s mortal remains were brought to his hometown from the state capital on Wednesday morning.
Thousands of people thronged either side of the road with flowers to catch a final glimpse of their leader and the heavy turnout significantly delayed the funeral procession. Long queues of women, including girls and senior citizens, could also be seen waiting to witness the final journey.
The Valiya Chudukadu crematorium holds special significance in the Communist history in Kerala as this was the place where many leaders of the Punnapra-Vayalar movement were laid to rest.
Achuthanandan himself bought the 22-cent land for the party in 1957 when he was the Alappuzha district secretary. Several Communist stalwarts, including P. Krishna Pillai, P.K. Chandranandan, K.R. Gowri Amma, T.V. Thomas and P.T. Punnoose, were laid to rest here.
With the full state honour, Achuthanandan's mortal remains will be consigned to flames at a specially arranged place in the burial ground by 5 pm.
A founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Achuthanandan was a lifelong champion of workers' rights, land reforms, and social justice.
He served as Kerala's Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011 and was elected to the state assembly seven times.
India