V.S. Achuthanandan’s death marks the end of an era, says M.V. Govindan

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M. V. Govindan stated that an era had come to an end with the passing of veteran party leader, freedom fighter, and former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. 

In a condolence message, Mr. Govindan said Mr. Achuthanandan, who was known more by the initials ‘VS,’ was a symbol of the ceaseless fight against injustice and exploitation. “VS will remain shining as a sun in the minds of the working class,” he said. 

Mr. Govindan described Mr. Achuthanandan as a humanist who never compromised on proletarian values. “He was at the frontline of the downtrodden’s existential struggles. For Mr. Achuthanandan, resistance to inequality, corruption, tyranny and exploitation was a way of life,” he said. 

Mr. Govindan remembered Mr. Achuthanandan’s trials and tribulations as a freedom fighter, communist party member, trade unionist, and organiser of indentured agricultural labourers against the tyranny of feudal landlords, which culminated in the historic Punnapra-Vayalar agrarian uprising in Alappuzha district in 1946. 

‘Organisational skills’

He said Mr. Achuthanandan displayed unmatched organisational skills as Leader of the Opposition and later Chief Minister. Mr. Achuthanandan took an uncompromising stance against corruption and exploitation of women and children. Environmental causes were close to his heart.

Mr. Achuthanandan was a seven-time legislator and also the chairperson of the Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission. He joined the Communist Party of India in 1940 and was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1964. “The CPI(M) and Kerala have suffered an irredeemable loss in the beloved comrade’s passing,” Mr. Govindan stated. 

Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener T.P. Ramakrishnan said Mr. Achuthanandan had a remarkable history of leading countless struggles and intervening in people’s issues. Mr. Ramakrishnan said that he played a key role in the formation of the CPI(M) and the LDF as well as in leading the party and the front through tumultuous periods. “Even in later years, when he remained unwell, he continued to make his stand clear on important issues of the day. VS’s passing away is an irreparable loss to the communist movement,” said Mr. Ramakrishnan.

‘A heart so big’

Veteran CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat termed Mr. Achuthanandan a living legend, a history-maker, and a warrior. “The beloved comrade was a warrior for the poor. He had a heart so big that he would intensely feel the pain of the deprived, the exploited and the downtrodden. The history of the communist party is deeply intertwined with the life of the comrade. He understood human suffering and worked for working class upliftment,” she told reporters in New Delhi.