THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the chequered course of VS Achuthanandan's long and eventful political journey spanning almost nine decades, a particular short spell stands out: a sudden fall and re-emergence.
Once hailed as a ruthless leader and party disciplinarian, VS underwent a quiet yet thorough makeover - a deconstruction of sorts that eventually triggered the making of a mass leader.
The latter half of 1990s witnessed two variants of 'vettinirthal' in Kerala's Communist party as well as the state's social sphere - both spearheaded by VS. One was the almost brutal elimination of the powerful CITU lobby, and the other, an anti-reclamation stir against filling of paddy fields.
Both instances bore the unmistakable prints of a seasoned hardliner who was all for elimination of working-class enemies at any cost. Yet curiously, both episodes aptly capture Achuthanandan's transformation into a mass leader.
Keenly aware that he was losing his iron grip within the party VS, then a septuagenarian, chose to re-invent and re-emerge as a true champion of the masses - a notable shift from backing class struggles to leading mass agitations. His interventions vis-à-vis Mathikettan, Plachimada, Endosulphan, paddy fields, free software movement, women safety anti-corruption crusades among others, went a long way in the shaping of VS as a mass leader who was acceptable to all cross-sections of society.
Once he zeroed in on the socio-political path to tread henceforth, VS knew exactly how to utilize it to his utmost advantage. He didn't shy away from taking up issues hitherto unheard of. He was always at the forefront, when it came to championing causes of the marginalized; all the time, cheekily aware of just how well the magical-crowd-puller-hat sat on his head. His public speeches were instant hits with the cheering masses who could be seen hanging on to every word that was delivered in typical VS fashion.
Blatantly engaging in theatrics, VS was famous for entertaining his listeners with his dramatic intonation, interspersed with throwing of hands in the air, stressing on specific words with controlled voice modulation, accompanied by a liberal peppering of humorous anecdotes and quotes, raising witty queries coupled with hilarious observations et al. In the process, he also earned the ire of a few powerful opponents like PK Kunhalikutty, R Balakrishna Pillai, Vellapppally Natesan and KM Mani, to name a few.
His relentless pursual of the Ice-cream parlour scandal and Idamalayar corruption case stand testimony to his determination. Umpteen such cases reflect VS' unique quality to unerringly zero in on the real politics behind each issue. The way VS took on powerful community leader Vellappally Natesan is just one of them.
"It was the time when Vellappally's micro-finance scheme came under fire. We were on our way to attend a campaign, and it so happened that I spoke to him about Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. He simply nodded and listened. He had me spellbound, by the manner in which he weaved a story out of it at the campaign meet," recalled his long-time associate KV Sudhakaran.
At the rally, VS spun a story about Shylock, the cut-throat moneylender from the play. "You all know Alappuzha is also called the Venice of the East. Vellappally stays at Kanichukulangara in Cherthala. Shylock reached Ernakulam, went to Kanichukulangara and reached Vellappally's doorstep and bowed before him," was how VS portrayed to his cheering listeners.
Achuthanandan was undoubtedly one of the greatest mass leaders Kerala has ever seen. With VS no more, the political stage seems starkly empty with hardly anyone in the state's political spectrum able to match his quick repartees and his very own colloquial way with words that never failed to win the hearts of his adoring audience.