KOCHI: It seems destiny has been cruel to Communist leaders of Alappuzha. From Kunthakaran Pathrose to G Sudhakaran, all were sidelined, humiliated or at odds with the party in later years of their lives.
Pathrose, the hero of Punnapra Vayalar uprising, was demoted from the state committee to Arattuvazhy branch committee. Unable to bear the humiliation, he left. A section in CPM did not like his extremist views.
T K Varghese Vaidyan, who was instumental in uniting agricultural labourers of Kuttanad, suffered a similar fate. He had an unsuccessful outing in the first assembly election in 1957 from Thakazhi, and later took leave to start a family business.
Upon return, he never got due consideration.Then there was K R Gouri Amma. Admired as the most efficient administrator, she was part of the Left cabinets in 1957, 1967, 1980 and 1987. However, her relationship with husband and former minister T V Thomas got strained due to the party’s interference.
After the Communist Party split, Gouri Amma joined CPM, while Thomas stayed with the CPI. In 1987, the LDF projected her as the chief ministerial candidate, but CPM chose E K Nayanar upon winning. Soon, she drifted away from the party.
After CPM expelled her, she floated the Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithi (JSS) and joined the UDF, and served as minister in 2001 and 2004.
Former CM V S Achuthanandan, too, had a strained relationship with the party despite being its most popular leader. He was involved in a power struggle with Pinarayi Vijayan, ever since the latter took over as the CPM state secretary. VS was removed from the CPM Politburo for criticising the party.
It was also alleged some from CPM ensured his defeat in Mararikulam in 1996. In 2006, the party decided not to field him but had to reverse the decision following protests. Still, despite his strained relations, Achuthanandan never quit CPM and remained an iconic figure till his death in 2025.
Sudhakaran was demoted to the branch committee in 2022, after serving 43 years as CPM state committee member. “It is an irony that many who led the Communist movement in Alappuzha were sidelined later in their lives.
Sudhakaran upheld high moral values. He wanted to ensure all could approach him. Both Gouri Amma and Sudhakaran were good administrators, leaders with integrity who didn’t have pretensions,” said historian M G Sasibhooshan.