Kerala’s Iconic Communist Figure 'Comrade VS' Dies at Age 101

Former Kerala Chief Minister and Communist movement icon VS Achuthanandan died on Monday after a lengthy medical stay.  The 101-year-old was taken to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on June 23 after experiencing a heart attack at home.  He'd been on ventilator support in the intensive care unit since.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM state secretary MV Govindan have hurried to the hospital to visit the family.  A steady stream of political leaders is already rushing to the hospital to pay their respects. 

Achuthanandan, a lifetime advocate for the rights of marginalized groups and a towering figure in state politics, withdrew from public life after suffering a small stroke in 2019. 

He resigned as Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Committee in January 2021 and has since alternated between staying with his son and daughter in Thiruvananthapuram. 

Achuthanandan, a founding leader of the CPM following the party's split in 1964, was admired across party lines for his populist stance and uncompromising persona.

He served as Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2006, during which time he spearheaded the onslaught on AK Antony's UDF government.  He led the CPM-led Left Democratic Front to victory in 2006 and held the position of Chief Minister till 2011. 

In 2011, he constructed the LDF campaign and, leading from the front, came close to a second term, but the UDF, led by Oommen Chandy, won a narrow victory, securing 72 of the 140 seats in the state Assembly.

The seasoned leader was no stranger to controversy, with his numerous battles with challenger Pinarayi Vijayan regularly making headlines.

He attributed his dismissal from the party politburo to his outspoken criticism of Mr Vijayan, and months later, on his 90th birthday, made a series of harsher remarks. 

In 2013, he told reporters that he was fired from the politburo for revealing the truth about a corruption case in which Pinarayi Vijayan was under investigation.   He stated that he had told his party that he could only stand by the truth in the matter, not the party's official statement that the case was contrived.