THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A short three-and-a-half-minute speech on a makeshift platform one late evening at the busy Kuravankonam junction in the state capital on October 18, 2019, was perhaps the final political speech made by VS Achuthanandan. In this address, he unleashed a scathing attack on both the Congress and the BJP, urging the masses to vote for the Left. This was just a day before he turned 96. A few days later, he suffered a stroke that incapacitated him.
Five years on, political Kerala sorely misses the frail yet firm voice that consistently spoke up for the common man. Veteran Communist VS Achuthanandan, who will turn 101 on Sunday, has been the Left’s greatest defense of all time. Whenever the party found itself on the defensive, he often spearheaded the fight more often than not, a single-handed effort.
“It’s true that at times, many of us not just the cadre but leaders too fervently wish VS were still active... how capably he would have defended both the party and the Left! Especially on issues related to women and the environment, he was a beacon of hope for all of us,” observed a leader who was once his associate.
In the past five years, the CPM and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan have often found themselves on the defensive, particularly with back-to-back allegations regarding their alleged soft approach in dealing with the BJP.
In his active days, VS, known for his acidic tongue and sharp humor, was the party's best bet to prevent the saffron party from making inroads into the state. Undoubtedly, his absence from active politics has weakened the Left’s ability to respond effectively when needed.
At a time when Pinarayi found himself in a difficult position, especially with the Chief Minister's Office dragged into gold smuggling allegations, the party sorely felt VS's absence. It’s curious to consider how the veteran would have responded to allegations against P Sasi and P K Sasi or addressed the police force coming under scrutiny for back-to-back custodial deaths, the Sprinklr fiasco, Wayanad tree-felling, Silverline, and more. The latest P V Anvar episode would have surely seen VS mercilessly roasting the dissident leader.
Well before late CPI leaders like Veliyam Bhargavan, C.K. Chandrappan, and Kanam Rajendran took on the mantle of being the corrective force in the Left, VS Achuthanandan had perfected this task to its fullest. He was often the savior for the party as well as the collective Left whenever the Communists found themselves in a corner.
Umpteen incidents stand as testimony to his ability to unerringly zero in on the actual politicking behind an issue. The way VS took on SNDP General Secretary Vellappally Natesan in 2015 is just one example. Challenging the powerful community leader over his micro-finance scheme, VS cornered Vellappally both politically and legally.
More notable was how he confronted late Kerala Congress leader K.M. Mani during the bar bribery scam. His scathing verbal attack on the veteran leader, a powerful politician from the Christian community, backed by biblical quotes, serves as a masterclass for political students. In the state assembly, he tore into Mani and even had the audacity to read from the Gospel of Matthew, much to his audience’s delight.
VS’s prominent role in leading the Left Front’s campaign against Mani, just a week after his infamous walkout from the party state conference in Alappuzha, reveals much about him as a born leader.
“It came naturally to him. Whenever he could, he was the best defense the party and the Left ever had. VS stood like a wall between the Left and its critics. His absence from active politics is unfortunate, yet inevitable!” observed veteran leader P.K. Gurudasan.