V.S. Achuthanandan

V.S. Achuthanandan

Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan : VS. Achuthanandan popularly known as Com.VS, was Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. He has been Leader of the Opposition in Kerala since 2011. VS was a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from 1985 to July 2009.Presently he is a Central Committee Member of CPI(M). He was one of the founding leaders of the CPI (M) in India, and has played a major role in building the party cadre in the state of Kerala. 

VS initiated various actions as the Chief Minister including: the demolition drive in Munnar which claimed back acres of illegally occupied land, the demolition drive in Kochi M. G. Road which claimed back the long lost shoulder of the road, anti-piracy drive against film-piracy, his struggle against the Lottery mafia in the state. He was instrumental in convicting former minister R. Balakrishna Pillai on charges of corruption. Achuthanandan also took the lead in promoting Free Software in the state, and especially in adopting free software in the public education system of the state.

Born on 20 October 1923 to Sankaran and Akkamma in Alappuzha district of Kerala state, He lost his mother when he was four years old and subsequently lost his father at age 11. This forced him to quit his studies after finishing 7th standard in school.^[8] He started working by helping his elder brother in a village tailoring shop. Later he took up the job of meshing coir to make ropes at a coir factory.

VS started his early political life by organising the agricultural workers in Kuttanadu. He was a well dedicated organizer of coir factory workers at the age of 16 under A.K. Gopalan and A.V. Kunjambu. Even though VS lack formal education, he was noted for his simplicity, dedication and deep reading. He was initiated into the political movement by Com. P.Krishna Pillai. Later he participated in the freedom movement and the Communist Movement. VS was in the forefront of the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising and Freedom Struggle against the policies for C.P Ramaswamy Iyer, Divan of Travancore who wanted to establish an American model government in Travancore. He was arrested on 28 October 1946 and was taken to Poonjar police station. He was beaten up severely in the lock – up. Policemen pierced his sole in both legs with bayonet. Com. VS spent five and half years in jails and four years underground during his political life.

VS  was in the forefront of the land struggles in Kerala starting with the Alappuzha declaration in 1970 demanding implementation of the Land Reforms Act passed by the EMS Government in 1967. Later his activities as the leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly had evoked good public response.

He entered politics through trade union activities and joined State Congress in 1938. In 1940, he became a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI). During his 40 years as a politician he was imprisoned for five years and six months and was in hiding for four and half years. He was a state secretariat member of the CPI in 1957. He is the only living Keralite among the 32 members who left the CPI National Council in 1964 to form the CPI(M).

Com VS has served many positions in his long political career. He was the Kerala State Secretary of the CPI(M) between 1980 and 1992 and he became a member of the Politburo in 1985. He has also been active in parliamentary politics; he was elected as a member of Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1967, 1970, 1991, 2001 and 2006. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2006. He was the editor of CPI(M) mouth piece in Malayalam, Deshabhimani daily.

RED SALUTE.

C.Sunish.