VS Achuthanandan: A legendary Communist who dominated Kerala's dynamic politics
VS was born to a poor family on October 20, 1923, and lost his mother when he was four and father when he was 11. After completing the seventh standard in school, he started working in his brother's tailoring shop. Later, he worked in a coir factory, where he organised workers and joined the communist movement. His organising skills and fighting spirit made him dear to both Left leaders and workers. He joined the CPI in 1940, and led the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising against the Travancore state police in 1946.Achuthanandan was elected to the CPI(M) politburo in 1985. He contested the Kerala assembly elections 10 times, between 1965 and 2016, and won on seven occasions. Though he supported Pinarayi Vijayan for the post of state secretary in 1998, the two fell apart in 2000.When Achuthanandan took a firm position against party directives on issues concerning the people, internal rifts widened, leading to a clash between him and Vijayan. In 2009, Achuthanandan was removed as member of the CPI(M) politburo for 'indiscipline'. While his party was seen as deviating from its ideological stand, he remained a true communist.K.V. Sudhakaran, who served as Achuthanandan's press secretary, calls him a green evangelist with youthful vigour. 'I started working with him when he was 90,' Sudhakaran said. 'He had great discipline for that age. He woke up every day at 5 and practised yoga. He read almost all newspapers before he went to office and prepared notes on major issues. He learnt Hindi at the age of 90 and started addressing politburo meetings in the language. Nothing would stop him once he decided to fight.'During the 2016 assembly poll campaign, INDIA TODAY had captured VS practising yoga at 5 am at the Mananthavady forest guesthouse in Wayanad district after a 12-hour-long poll campaign the previous day.advertisementVS was a true Communist of his making—an Indian Che Guevara. 'He will be missed dearly,' said the Congress's V.D. Satheesan, the current leader of the Opposition.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends
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