Former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday (July 21, 2025) due to age-related ailments. He was 101.
VS, as he was fondly known, was a symbol of resilience, integrity, and a century-long commitment to the working class in the State. The communist stalwart became a moral compass for the Left movement in India, and his life mirrored the evolution of communist politics in the country.
Born in 1923 in the coastal village of Punnapra, Alappuzha, Achuthanandan was shaped by poverty and early loss, forcing him into work by the age of 11. But the hardship only sharpened his resolve. Drawn to the freedom struggle and workers’ movements, he joined the Communist Party as a teenager. Over the decades, he became a key organiser of land reforms and trade unions, surviving arrests, underground life, and inner-party rivalries. He was among the founding leaders of the CPI(M) in 1964 after the party split — a decision that shaped Indian Left politics for generations.
Though often sidelined within his own party for his uncompromising stands, Achuthanandan earned mass appeal for his crusades against corruption, land mafias, and nepotism.
His tenure as Kerala’s Chief Minister (2006 – 2011) at the age of 82 was marked by bold actions, including the eviction of illegal encroachments in Munnar and a renewed push for development in the IT sector. Even in his 90s, he remained a rallying point for clean politics, drawing admiration across the political spectrum.
Here is a brief timeline on his personal and political life:
Published – July 21, 2025 04:30 pm IST
