TNIE online desk
Iconic Communist leader and former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, affectionately known as VS, passed away at the age of 101 on July 21 at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
A founding leader of CPI(M), Achuthanandan, who turned 101 last October, was the last surviving member of the 32 leaders who split from CPI in 1964 to form the party.
Achuthanandan was elected to the Kerala Assembly seven times, served as Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011, and was Leader of Opposition three times.
He is survived by his wife K Vasumathy and two children VA Arunkumar and VV Asha.
Maintaining his own stance even at the cost of opposing the party, VS always had the image of a leader of the masses.
Initiated into the state's political movement by P Krishna Pillai, he started his early political life as a trade union activist in 1938, by organising agricultural workers at Kuttanadu.
VS was undoubtedly the CPM's most popular leader in the state, evoking genuine affection among the masses right down to the grassroot levels.
Rest in peace VS, a leader who transcended party lines and truly was everyone’s favourite Comrade.