Naidu, Jagan mourn death of veteran Communist leader V.S. Achuthanandan
YSR Congress Party president and former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also conveyed his sorrow over the demise of the prominent Communist leader. He noted that Kerala's political landscape had lost a great statesman with Achuthanandan's passing. Jagan Mohan Reddy highlighted the veteran leader's courage, commitment, and deep connection with the people, saying these qualities would be remembered forever. He extended heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved family and admirers and prayed for peace to the departed soul.
The Andhra Pradesh State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expressed deep sorrow over the veteran leader's demise. Achuthanandan passed away at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday due to age-related ailments. He was 101.
In a condolence message, the party State Secretary V. Srinivasa Rao conveyed sympathies on behalf of the party and instructed all party offices in the State to lower flags as a mark of respect. He described Achuthanandan as a towering figure in India's Communist movement, who joined the party at the age of 17 and played a crucial role in the land reform struggles under the leadership of Comrade Krishna Pillai. Achuthanandan led several key workers' and farm labourers' movements and was instrumental in shaping the growth of the Communist Party in Kerala. Remembering him as a humble leader devoted to the cause of social justice, Mr. Rao said his death is an irreparable loss to the Communist movement and the people at large.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Wire
an hour ago
- The Wire
Bihar SIR ‘Exercise in Exclusion', Says Opposition INDIA Bloc
Politics Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the opposition said that the EC must abandon its 'institutional arrogance' and roll back the SIR. New Delhi: The opposition INDIA bloc on Sunday (July 27) called the Election Commission (EC)'s ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar an 'exercise in exclusion', demanding that the poll body give up its 'institutional arrogance' and stop the exercise. 'This is an exercise in exclusion. In the whole month, you could not find a single person who had to be included? There are different categories of exclusion, but it is highly surprising that they did not come across a single person who is eligible for inclusion,' said Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya while addressing a press conference in New Delhi. 'Between the summary revision which was conducted in January 2025 and July 2025 SIR, are we to believe that 22 lakh people have died in the last six months?' According to the EC's figures released on Sunday, a total of 65 lakh people have been found to be deceased, permanently shifted or not found, and another seven lakh were found to have registered in multiple places. The commission said that 7.24 crore enumeration forms have been collected at the end of its month-long exercise, which amounts to 91.69% of the total electors in the state. The press conference was addressed by Bhattacharya, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Nilotpal Basu. Singhvi questioned the 'institutional arrogance' of the EC and asked why the exercise could not be de-linked from the assembly elections due to be held in November. 'Please rethink your institutional arrogance. Everyone across the country is urging you to roll this back. What was the hurry to conduct this exercise just three months before the elections and link it to the elections? Why could this not be done after the elections? Many mistakes are being made because of this time limit,' he said. Singhvi said that amid questions being raised that the exercise was not one for the purification of electoral rolls but a citizenship verification drive, the EC has now made its stated objective clear. 'Earlier it was not clear, but now it is absolutely clear that this is a citizenship verification exercise by the EC. The Supreme Court's suggestion is as good as an order. If one is to accept the EC's argument that Aadhaar, ration card and EPIC card cannot be accepted, then that only means you want a proof of citizenship. That means your stated objective is to determine citizenship,' he said. Earlier this week, the EC in its affidavit in the Supreme Court said it has the authority to seek proof of citizenship and also turned down the court's suggestion that Aadhaar, voter identity and ration cards be considered as valid documents in its controversial exercise, which has been criticised for its risk of mass disenfranchisement and exclusion. 'Because you have said citizenship cannot be determined by ration card, voter ID card or Aadhaar card. So the question arises, has this right been given to the EC?' said Singhvi. Jha said that the exercise was started without consulting political parties, while 'opacity had become a hallmark' of the EC's functioning. 'When the chief election commissioner [Gyanesh Kumar] took over, he had said emphatically that none of his decisions would be taken without consulting political parties. I think in the last 22 years, there has been no bigger decision than this, but no political party was consulted. On June 24 the exercise was announced and on June 25 it was started," he said. Jha said that reports had shown booth-level officers filling out forms or sitting at a party office and signing forms, as well as instances of forms not being filled duly. 'This is a form of constitutional fraud. If my form can be filled without my sign or fingerprint and submitted, and on the basis of this you call it a cleaning exercise, then sorry to say, opacity has become a hallmark of the functioning of the EC,' he said. The opposition parties demanded that the exercise be stopped, with time still in hand. The Supreme Court meanwhile is slated to continue hearing the petitions challenging the exercise on Monday (July 28). The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.


Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
CPI seminar in Bathinda highlights Punjab's key issues ahead of party centenary
Bathinda: Ahead of the Communist Party of India's (CPI) 25th Congress and its centenary, a seminar was held in Bathinda on Sunday to discuss key issues facing Punjab. The seminar was attended by personalities from diverse fields. CPI national council member Hardev Arshi, academician Swarajbir Singh, and Sumail Singh Sidhu discussed the issues of corruption, unemployment, agrarian crisis, and migration. They stated that Punjab is facing multiple issues and there is a dire need to solve these burning issues. The CPI was formed on Dec 26, 1925, and will complete 100 years of its formation later this year. The 25th Congress will be organised at Chandigarh from Sept 21 to 25. As per the brief on the draft political resolution for the 25th Congress, it is taking place against a backdrop of sweeping global and national political transformations. The CPI identifies serious threats to India's democratic, secular, and federal character under the present regime and resolves to craft a path of resistance rooted in its legacy of struggle. The Congress will deliberate on the political, economic, and social crises afflicting the world and the nation and articulate a path forward for united action to protect the constitutional foundations of India and advance the cause of socialism. MSID:: 122935603 413 |


Hans India
5 hours ago
- Hans India
Opposition leads in Booth Level Agent appointments during Bihar's SIR drive
In a significant development during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar, opposition parties have outpaced others in appointing Booth Level Agents (BLAs). According to official data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday, political parties nominated a total of 1.60 lakh BLAs during the enumeration phase of the SIR conducted between June 24 and July 25, 2025 - a 16 per cent increase from the beginning of the drive. Notably, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) recorded a staggering 1083 per cent increase in BLAs, jumping from just 76 agents before SIR to 899 by the end. The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation followed closely, with a 542 per cent rise - from 233 to 1,496 agents. The Indian National Congress also showed remarkable engagement, doubling its BLA count from 8,586 to 17,549 - an increase of 105 per cent. In sharp contrast, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), despite being a major opposition player in Bihar, showed a meagre 1 per cent increase, from 47,143 to 47,506 BLAs. The data directly counters any perception that the opposition boycotted or under-participated in the SIR exercise. Instead, it reveals that parties like the Congress, CPI(M), and CPIML actively mobilised at the booth level to engage with voters and ensure accurate electoral rolls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while maintaining a high base, saw only a 3 per cent increase in its BLAs - from 51,964 to 53,338. The Janata Dal (United) demonstrated moderate growth of 31 per cent, raising its count from 27,931 to 36,550. The rise in BLA appointments is seen as a critical indicator of party preparedness and grassroots mobilisation ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. It also reflects a broader political consensus in supporting a cleaner, more inclusive voter list through active participation in the SIR process. The opposition INDIA Bloc has been criticising the poll panel for conducting the SIR drive just ahead of the Bihar elections, but according to the data shared by the poll panel, the sharp increment in appointing BLA's reflects the opposition's presence on the ground when the drive was being done.