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New Indian Express
02-08-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Leaders commemorate VS, say he remoulded self with changing times
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala's socio-political and religious leadership paid homage to former chief minister and veteran Communist V S Achuthanandan on Friday. Inaugurating the programme organised by CPM at Nishagandhi auditorium, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan dismissed the narrative presented now by different corners that it was in his latter years that V S Achuthanandan took a pro-environmental position. 'The protest organised by the Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union against the filling of barren paddy land under VS was an example of how seriously he understood the protection of environment. It was the exemplary organisational work he took up that had shaped the VS that we knew later. His life is interlinked with the Punnapra-Vayalar protest against the then monarchy's attempt to create Travancore an independent nation. He was forced to live underground and was beaten up in the police lock-up. However, VS emerged more powerful,' he said. Remembering the late leader, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said that he was astonished by the ability of VS in his later years to study new issues and understand the changes that happened. 'VS remoulded himself with the changing time. VS took on environmental issues in his later years. In his period as CM, I had opposed and criticised him from the opposition benches. However, whenever we brought to his notice the land grabbing issue, he took prompt action. He always had the mind of 'Opposition' even when he took charge of the CM,' he added. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said that once in a one-to-one discussion VS raised apprehension about the moral degradation happening in Communist parties. 'When I said that the division could have been averted in the unified Communist party, VS altogether dismissed it and said he did not hold that view,' he said. IUML general secretary P K Kunhalikutty described VS as a leader who had surrendered his life for the uplift of the poor and to fight against injustice. Former union minister V Muralidharan said VS will be best remembered for his decisions and positions taken as a chief minister.
New Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
V S Achuthanandan: The defeat that shaped a mass leader
ALAPPUZHA: In the political history of Kerala, the defeat of veteran communist leader V S Achuthanandan in the 1996 assembly election is written in black letters. Once considered a CPM's chief ministerial candidate, VS' unexpected loss in Mararikulam constituency became a turning point, not just in his career, but also in his personal life. VS was defeated by Congress candidate P J Francis by a slender margin of 1,965 votes, a result that sent shockwaves through Kerala's political circles. It was more than just a surprise loss, it was the fallout of a bitter factional feud that had gripped the CPM at the time. On one side stood the CITU-backed lobby led by then Chief Minister E K Nayanar, and on the other, the Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union (KSKTU)-led faction under VS himself. The internal rift ran deep, and it played out publicly in the polls. In Mararikulam, considered a fortress of the left, cross-voting by disillusioned party workers, particularly those aligned the with CITU, sealed his defeat. Ironically, even Francis never imagined he would win. In an interview given to this paper years later, Francis recalled how reluctant he had been to contest. 'No one in the Congress wanted to stand against Achuthanandan,' he said. 'It was A K Antony who compelled me to contest. I had already lost twice before – to K R Gouri in Aroor. Mararikulam was a communist stronghold. I never thought I would win.' A soft-spoken politician from Convent Square in Alappuzha, Francis passed away last month, but his unexpected triumph over a communist giant sealed his legacy – as one etched in Kerala's political history. The 1996 defeat humanised VS. From a rigid ideologue, he began evolving into a more empathetic, accessible leader. The Mararikulam debacle was the beginning of a new VS, one who stood not just as a party leader, but a symbol of the people's fight for justice and dignity.
