THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Going by official records, the second World Congress of the Communist Third International prepared the ground for the formation of the Communist Party of India on October 17, 1920 in Tashkent. Velikkakath Sankaran Achuthanandan, VS to all, was born four years later, on October 20, 1923. In hindsight, the cord that linked VS to the CPM was neither taut nor straight. It had its loose ends — its knots. Notwithstanding, the Communist movement in Kerala, since its inception in 1939, is intrinsically linked to VS, who has left an indelible imprint on not just its political markings, but on each and every milestone that has been woven into the state’s socio-cultural fabric.
In many ways, the influence wielded by VS in the CPM has its intrinsic roots in the quirkiness of modern-day factionalism. Despite challenging the official stance umpteen times and keeping it on tenterhooks, be it his decision to contest against E K Nayanar in 1991, visiting the family of slain RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan, taking up the SNC-Lavalin case or walking out of the Alappuzha conference, the party never did give up on VS.
On the other hand, VS has been synonymous with the party's revolutionary struggle, especially after his careful reinvention as a mass leader. It was evident that the '7th class pass' leader was able to fill the political vacuum created by EMS Namboodiripad in Kerala politics. Initiated into the movement by P Krishnapillai, VS started his political life as a trade unionist, by organizing agricultural workers at Kuttanadu. Once a part of the iconic Punnapra-Wayalar struggle and freedom movement, he was at the forefront of land struggles in the 70s.
A consistent trudge on a path of mass agitations and class struggles throughout his life is what marks VS the politician, observes Appukkuttan Vallikkunnu. "VS has always chosen the path of agitation, taking up mass struggles even when the Left was in power. He didn't take a break till 2016. The party's stance against consultancy deals is what prompted him to fight the Lavalin deal. We should view it in the backdrop of the AI camera deal that recently kicked up a row. Had VS been active, political Kerala would have eagerly listened to him. Now the Left is devoid of such a voice that echoes public anguish," he rued.
The trajectory of factional feuds in the CPM, evident all throughout the party state conferences in the past four decades, has played a pivotal role in cementing his role in state politics. It began at the 1985 Ernakulam conference that led to the ouster of MV Raghavan whose alternative document had created ripples in the Left.
A silent coup by VS, with blessings from EMS, led to the CPM's most popular Kannur leader walkout.
The 1988 Alappuhza conference, where VS was re-elected as state secretary, once again showcased his strength. However, the 1991 Kozhikode conference was the pinnacle of factionalism, when VS lost to Nayanar by a mere two votes as state secretary. In many ways, it was this conference that paved the way for the VS' makeover. Despite an internal decision that those in party organisation should move to Parliamentary roles and vice versa, VS chose to contest as secretary, and lost. Yet the party chose him as the Leader of the Opposition.
The 1995 Kollam conference saw a downslide for the VS faction, as most of his candidates to the state committee had to face defeat. The resentment that began here was what led to the historic Vettinirathal episode in CPM at its Palakkad conference in 1998. Staging his biggest comeback ever, VS single-handedly eliminated the CITU lobby in the CPM, as prominent faces like MM Lawrence, KN Raveendranath, VB Cherian and Appukkuttan Vallikkunnu surprisingly found themselves on the losing side.
VS vs Pinarayi- the most bitter feud in the CPM - began with the 2002 Kannur conference, and continued through the 2005 Malappuram conference. During the fight, the masses chose to stand with VS. In 2006, the party was forced to correct its stance after denying him a seat to contest. The fight continued through his chief ministerial term and led to his demotion from the politburo. As Chief Minister, he led the historic Munnar eviction drive against illegal encroachments despite opposition from within his cabinet. His chief ministerial tenure was marked with political ups and downs with a rigid party machinery under Pinarayi exercising an iron-clad grip on VS.
The factional feud continued through the 2008 Kottayam conference and the 2012 Thiruvananthapuram conference too. The conflict climaxed at the 2015 Alappuzha conference, where VS walked out after being termed a renegade with an anti-party mindset - a move that would have undoubtedly destroyed any other comrade, but VS!
But VS rose like a Phoenix, as he piloted the Left charge in the Kerala assembly against the Bar bribery scam accused KM Mani, during his budget presentation on March 13, 2015.
VS and the CPM have always been mutually complementary, says Left-wing commentator N M Pearson. “VS symbolises the emotional connect and instinctive passion for communism. The party and VS have always been in a constantly evolving relation that clash and nurture in symbiotic fashion. Neither VS nor the party can afford to give up on the other, despite intense difference of opinions on many occasions,” he observed.
In contemporary CPM politics, VS remains the Communist Party's most popular face in the state, evoking genuine affection among the masses right down to the grassroot levels. The campaigns that he chose to take up during the 90s after a deliberate makeover transformed him into a true mass leader. Except for a few aberrations like the 1998 tussle with CITU, VS was always the first to take up the common man's concerns on a public platform.
Right from Mullaperiyar to Mathikettan, Endosulphan to Kudankulam, women's safety to free software, VS remained the lone hope of the struggling masses. He strove against the system, fought with his own party and comrades, and led solitary strikes, becoming the voice of the unheard and standing rock solid with the masses.
In the course of these, he chose to take head-on powerful political opponents like PK Kunhalikkutty, R Balakrishna Pillai and Vellappally Natesan, further cementing his image as a mass hero. Though VS too may have nurtured political ambitions of sorts, never did subjugate him into silence. Maybe that's what makes him the true blood comrade that he has always been for the past century. A rare feat indeed!
A moment of pride and happiness: Pinarayi
V S Achuthanandan’s 100th birthday is a moment of pride and happiness for workers, progressive movements and the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. He is among the leaders who should be credited for the present Kerala, Pinarayi said in his birthday wishes. Before the state’s formation, VS fought against autocracy, feudalism and imperialism. After the state’s formation, he led several people’s protests. His interventions as a people’s representative, leader of the opposition and chief minister were noted. VS always stood with the labour class and took a strong stand against exploitation.VS was instrumental in uniting farm labourers and coir workers in Kuttanad, he said.
The eternal rebel
A Marxist with a rebellious streak, who stood up for his convictions, even at the cost of inviting his party’s wrath, VS is the only leader to have faced multiple disciplinary actions in the CPM. Being part of a political outfit that boasts iron-clad machinery for both structuring and disciplining its comrades and cadre, it was never easy for the veteran to make his voice heard. That he always succeeds in his run-ins with the party clearly underscores his mettle as a leader of the masses!
Right from his decision to donate blood and ration to Indian soldiers during the 1962 Indo-China war, the 2012 visit to Koodankulam, and storming out of the 2015 party state conference that passed a resolution against him, there was no dearth of issues that invited the party’s wrath.
In January 2017, facing his 10th corrective action VS maintained the status quo, while it was nothing but a face saver for the CPM leadership. It was during the Indo-China war that VS was first castigated by the party. He was demoted from the CC. He was issued a warning in 1998 and suspended from the politburo for factionalism in 2007. Though the party took him back, keeping in mind his mass appeal, VS had to leave the politburo again in 2009.
This was followed by the central committee censure for his visit to Kudankulam to express solidarity with protesters opposing the nuclear power plant.
But the party resolution terming him a “comrade with an anti-party mindset”, on the eve of the 2015 Alappuzha conference, could be termed the most drastic of the reprimands. That such an open declaration was made in front of the media by none other than his bête noire Pinarayi Vijayan only served to highlight the extent to which the veteran was being isolated within the party.
VS: From a communist leader to CM
Chief Minister: 2006-2011
Leader of Opposition: 1992-96, 2001-06, 2011-16
Elected to assembly: 1967, 1970, 1991, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016
CPM state secretary: 1980-1992
CPM politburo member: 1985-2009
Chairman, Administrative Reforms Commission: 2016-2021
Major milestones as CM
Release of ‘Oru Samara Noottandu’
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will release ‘Oru Samara Noottandu,’ a book on Achuthanandan when the latter completes a century on Friday. Film director Shaji N Karun will receive the book written by journalist K V Sudhakaran at Ayyankali Hall in Thiruvananthapuram at 5 pm. The book has been published by Chintha Publishers.