THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a first, a Communist leader, albeit posthumously, is set to get the second-highest civilian honour in the country. The Padma Vibhushan to V S Achuthanandan brings with it multiple socio-political dimensions, especially in the current political climate. This time round, through the Padma declarations, the Union government has sent out a clear message to election-bound Kerala.
There are indications that several prominent names, including that of the former chief minister, figured in the list proposed by the Union government. The central move took the CPM, which has a history of turning down state-sponsored awards, by surprise. In fact, the honour has put the leadership in a dilemma over the party position to be taken.
In the past, three CPM veterans have turned down such honours. Communist ideologue and first Kerala Chief Minister E M S Namboodiripad set the tone, declining the Padma Vibhushan in 1992. Around three decades later, former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee refused the Padma Bhushan, saying the CPM policy has been consistent in declining such awards. His predecessor Jyoti Basu declined the Bharat Ratna, when his name did the rounds in 2008.
However, in the case of VS, his family intends to receive the award. Speaking to TNIE, Achuthanandan’s son V A Arun Kumar confirmed accepting the honour. “It’s an honour given by the nation. We will receive it,” said Arun Kumar.
The CPM leadership meanwhile has taken a cautious position, as it wants to keep away from any controversies surrounding VS. Unlike in the past, wherein the party used to issue a statement clarifying its position over the award, the CPM is unlikely to issue any official communication this time around. The party knows that refusing the award at this stage could well be used by its political opponents to create a distorted political narrative. With elections coming up, the party is not keen on the same. Moreover refusing the award could be interpreted in different ways related to factional feuds in the past.
The CPM has always taken a position against receiving such awards, said a top Left leader. However in this case, the party has left it to the family to take a call. “He’s being honoured posthumously. And the family has already expressed pleasure over the same. We want to leave it at that. We don’t want to indulge in any further discussion about the same. Had he been alive, he would’ve consulted party leadership. In the past whenever any Communist leader received/considered for the honour, be it for EMS or Buddhadeb, they themselves rejected the same,” he pointed out.
