THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the clock struck 12 on Thursday night to usher in October 20, Communist icon V S Achuthanandan, the champion of many a struggle of, by and for the working class, turned 100.
VS, the only living Keralite among the 32 leaders who walked out of the CPI national council in 1964 to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was active in politics until four years ago, when ill health forced his retirement.
A seven-time legislator and the 11th chief minister of Kerala, VS served as Leader of Opposition in the state assembly for three terms. A three-time CPM state secretary, he was part of its Politburo for close to 25 years. As chief minister, he led the historic Munnar eviction drive against illegal encroachments despite opposition from within his cabinet. Bringing in the Paddy and Wetland Act 2008 was another major milestone under his captaincy.
Once seen as the most rigid Communist leader, VS undoubtedly played a significant role in building the Left movement in Kerala. He was also party to several internal strife within the CPM, including those culminated in the expulsion of veterans like M V Raghavan and K R Gowri Amma. What makes the veteran stand apart from his peers is his will to unflinchingly stand up for his convictions.
A text-book Communist endowed with a rebellious streak, he dared to criticise his own party at times. VS was in the forefront of a slew of mass campaigns taking up people’s issues, whether it be environmental issues, women’s safety or free software movement.
He led the struggles from the front even when the party was not keen, like the Mathikettan issue, Koodamkulam agitation or even Pembilai Orumai.
VS, Kerala’s biggest crowd puller
His political and legal fights against R Balakrishna Pillai, P K Kunhalikkutty and Vellappally Natesan is testament to his willingness to go to any extend for his political convictions. His chief ministerial tenure was marked by political ups and downs with a rigid party machinery under friend-turned-foe Pinarayi Vijayan exercising an iron-clad grip on VS. The stand-off between them kept the CPM on tenterhooks for long, which finally culminated with the 2015 party conference that saw VS walking out, after being termed a renegade.
VS was, however, synonymous with three decades of Left politics in the state. Kerala listened with rapt attention, each time he spoke. Blatantly engaging in theatrics, entertaining listeners with quips, dramatic mannerisms that included throwing of hands in the air, stressing on specific words with controlled voice modulation, liberal peppering of speeches with humorous anecdotes and quotes, raising witty queries coupled with hilarious observations, VS has been the conscience keeper of Kerala’s political psyche for long.