The Relentless Communist Who Rose From the Working Class to Lead Kerala

V S Achuthanandan, a towering figure in India's communist movement and the first from a working-class background to become Chief Minister of Kerala, died on Monday at the age of 101.

- MPOST BUREAU

He breathed his last at 3:20 pm while undergoing treatment in the critical care unit of SUT Hospital, Pattom, where he had been admitted since June 23 following a cardiac arrest.

Achuthanandan, fondly called "Comrade VS," was a veteran Marxist leader whose political life spanned over eight decades. He began his journey in public life as a trade unionist and steadily rose through the ranks, leaving a lasting imprint on Kerala's political landscape and the Indian Left as a whole.

Born in Punnapra village in Alappuzha district on October 20, 1923, Achuthanandan's formal education ended in Class VII. His political awakening came early when he joined the State Congress in 1939. A year later, he became a member of the Communist Party, a decision that would define the rest of his life.

His early years were shaped by hardship and defiance. "He knew what poverty meant — not in theory, but in reality," said Political analyst N Ajith. During British rule and the volatile years after independence, he spent over five years in jail and nearly the same duration underground.

In 1964, when ideological tensions split the undivided Communist Party, Achuthanandan was among 32 leaders who formed the Communist Party of India (Marxist). This decision placed him at the heart of a movement that would redefine Left politics in Kerala.