Comrade V. S. Achuthanandan: A Century of Struggles, A Political Life of Integrity

V.S. Achuthanandan (VS) passed away on Monday afternoon, marking the end of a political era rooted in integrity and conviction. In a time when politics is driven by political expediency and personal gain, VS stood apart. His life remained a testament to lasting ideals – integrity, humility, and selfless commitment. From modest beginnings in Kerala, he rose from an ordinary worker to become chief minister, staying true to the principles of justice and equality. 

A stalwart of India’s first democratically elected communist movement, VS spent over eight decades in public life, always standing with the poor and the marginalised. His passing marks the close of a generation that placed ideals above power and ambition.

VS was born in 1923 in Punnapra, Alappuzha. Orphaned young and forced to quit school after the seventh standard, he worked in a tailoring shop and coir factory to survive. But even in hardship, a spirit of rebellion stirred in him. 

Drawn to trade union struggles in 1938 and inspired by leaders like P. Krishna Pillai, he joined the Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1940. He helped organise coir and farm workers in Kuttanad and took part in the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising, an event that influenced his lifelong dedication to working-class politics. Rising through party ranks, he became Alappuzha district secretary, state committee member, and part of the CPI state secretariat by 1957. 

In 1964, he was among the 32 leaders who founded the CPI(Marxist), eventually becoming its last surviving founding member in Kerala.

Ideological struggles and uncompromising stands

Achuthanandan’s political journey was marked by fierce ideological struggles. During the 1962 India-China war, he defied the CPI’s official stance by organising blood donation drives for Indian soldiers, leading to his arrest and removal from the party’s state secretariat. This early defiance showed his willingness to stand by his convictions, even against party lines.

He was an early critic of environmental harm and resource misuse. In the 1980s, he opposed nuclear power and large dam projects, drawing criticism from the CPI(M) politburo. His environmentalism emerged from concern for Kerala’s ecology and the livelihoods of the poor, not mere slogans. In the 1990s and 2000s, VS emerged as a powerful mass leader and became leader of the opposition three times. 

He led campaigns against land grabs, the lottery mafia and projects like Coca-Cola in Plachimada, which damaged local water sources. He stood with tribal communities during the Muthanga incident and fought for justice in the endosulfan tragedy in Kasaragod.

Even as political pragmatism gained ground, VS remained a principled idealist. He often clashed with party leaders over the CPI(M)’s direction. Though sidelined from the politburo in 2009, he remained the party’s moral compass and refused to fade from public life.

In 2006, at the age of 82, VS became Kerala’s chief minister, the oldest to hold the post. His mass appeal during the election campaign pushed the CPI(M) to project him as their leader. His tenure (2006-2011) saw major infrastructure and IT developments, including the Vallarpadam terminal, expansion of Technopark and approvals for the Kochi Metro and Kannur Airport. IT exports and jobs also rose significantly under his leadership.

But what truly set his government apart was its boldness. VS led a high-profile land eviction drive in Munnar, targeted illegal lotteries and land mafias, and demanded transparency. He took principled stands on social issues – refusing to honour tainted figures, supporting victims of violence, and backing the widow of slain CPI(M) rebel T.P. Chandrasekharan, despite party opposition. 

While promoting tourism-related projects, VS always viewed governance as an ethical mission, not a platform for compromise. He stayed away from the powerful and pushed for public accountability. Even his critics admitted that, during his rule, the government firmly stood with the people.

In the 2011 elections, though the LDF narrowly missed a majority, Achuthanandan remained the people’s leader. As opposition leader, he continued with his trademark sharp wit and fearless speeches, earning both laughter and respect. His style made him a beloved political figure.

In 2016, at 92, he won again from Malampuzha, but the chief minister’s role went to Pinarayi Vijayan. VS was appointed chairman of the administrative reforms commission – a symbolic post he accepted with quiet dignity. 

He remained active until a stroke in 2019 left him bedridden.

When he turned 100 in October 2023, it wasn’t just his age that was celebrated – it was a century of courage, integrity and tireless service. His life stood for principled politics, lived without greed, and always on the side of the people.

‘Fidel Castro of Kerala’, critic of Gorbachev

VS was often called the ‘Fidel Castro of Kerala’ because of his commitment to communist ideals, his long-standing revolutionary image, and his mass appeal as a leader of the people. In 2016, when Pinarayi Vijayan was chosen as chief minister of Kerala, then CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury remarked that while VS would not lead the government, he remained symbolically powerful – "what Fidel Castro was to Cuba, Comrade VS is to India”. VS himself deeply admired Fidel Castro, calling him an eternal source of inspiration for rights activists around the world.

He praised Castro for leading a small country like Cuba to socialism and for resisting numerous attempts – over 600 – to end his life. VS saw Castro as a unique revolutionary figure who successfully stood up to American imperialism and demonstrated how a communist system could uplift people’s lives better than many capitalist states. To VS, Castro’s legacy was not just political but moral and global. His passing, VS said, was a great loss for humanity at a time when imperialist forces continued to take new forms.

VS’s differences with his party colleagues were not a public secret. For example, in response to Pinarayi Vijayan’s remark that a leader outside the party is like a bucket of water removed from the sea – powerless and without waves – VS, when he was chief minister, delivered a sharp rebuttal. Without naming Vijayan directly, VS countered that history doesn’t support such simplistic analogies. 

Referring to the fall of the Soviet Union, he said it was once a vast ocean of social transformation that inspired radical change in countries like India. But with Gorbachev’s reforms, that ocean dried up, and any “buckets” drawn from it now tell a different story. VS argued that many established social systems have vanished over time, despite once being powerful. He warned that revolutionary movements in India and Kerala must remain vigilant to prevent similar internal failures, subtly suggesting that the real danger lies not in being outside the party, but in leaders who weaken it from within.

The late M. Kunhaman, a noted social scientist in Kerala, offered a striking insight into V.S. Achuthanandan’s character in his autobiography, titled Ethiru (Defiance). He says that what surrounds VS is not conventional power but a deeper, organic moral force. Unlike many who use authority to dominate, VS never treated power as a means of control. Kunhaman recalled a vivid image of VS sweating uncomfortably while seated in the chief minister’s chair, symbolising a man who never sought luxuries or privileges that come with office.

Prabhat Patnaik, economist and former vice-chairman of the Kerala State Planning Board during Achuthanandan’s tenure, noted in 2013 that VS remained a rare figure of mass appeal in the post-classical phase of communism. What set him apart, Patnaik argued, was not political manoeuvring but a deep-rooted personal integrity – reflected in his austere lifestyle, moral steadfastness and unwavering commitment to egalitarian ideals, which embodied the finest traditions of Kerala’s progressive politics.

This moral force was also evident in VS’s approach to governance. As chief minister, he led a delegation to Delhi to raise serious concerns about the impact of a proposed Free Trade Agreement on Kerala’s edible oil producers, demonstrating his readiness to stand up for the state’s vulnerable communities, even in the face of central policy decisions.

The last of his kind

VS’s life is the story of a man who never abandoned his beliefs, even when it cost him dearly. He lived simply, spoke plainly and fought bravely. Whether it was land reform, environmental protection, tribal rights, or standing up to corruption, VS was always on the side of the underdog. He never sought favours, never bowed to authority, and never let defeat break him.

In Kerala’s crowded political memory, VS does not belong to the elite or the opportunists – he belongs to the barefoot workers of Kuttanad, the coir labourers of Alappuzha, the tribal families of Wayanad, and the mothers of endosulfan victims in Kasaragod. He belongs to those who believe that politics can still be clean, and that truth can still be spoken. 

Even today, his absence is felt as a powerful presence. In a time of loudmouthed leaders and empty slogans, V.S. Achuthanandan stands alone, a centenarian communist, a moral force and, perhaps, the last of his kind.

K.M. Seethi is director, Inter University Centre for Social Science Research and Extension (IUCSSRE), Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), Kerala, India. Seethi also served as senior professor of International Relations, Dean of Social Sciences at MGU and ICSSR Senior Fellow.

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