A taste of his own medicine: the rise and fall of Achuthanandan

V.S. Achuthanandan was one of the 32 communists who walked out of the national executive of the undivided CPI in 1964 to form the CPM. The veteran had a bitter-sweet relation with the party he formed, drawing disciplinary actions every now and then.

Achuthanandan never had it easy in life. He was only four years old when his mother died. His father also left in his childhood. The youngest of the four children, Achuthanandan joined his brother’s garment store.

The boy later joined a coir factory, where he was spotted by the legendary comrade P. Krishna Pillai. He was sent to work among agricultural laborers and to organize them. A fighter was born.

Achuthanandan was arrested after the Punnapra-Vayalar agitation. The brutal torture by the policemen only hardened the communist.

Achuthanandan was known as a hardliner in the party. He had always presided over a faction of the party, until he was effectively sidelined ahead of the 2016 assembly election.

Achuthanandan rose to the top of the party’s Kerala unit but lacked the stature of leaders such as Basava Punnayya, B. Ranadive and P. Sundarayya. In fact, E. Balanandan was inducted to the politburo from Kerala much before Achuthanandan.

Happy Birthday VS

Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, popularly known as VS, is one of the most iconic figures of Kerala politics in recent times. He turns 94 Friday. Photo: Manorama
Happy Birthday VS

VS is known to stand by his ideologies even if his party is treading a different path. He met the mother of Jishnu Pranoy, an engineering student who allegedly committed suicide,while CM Pinarayi refused to meet his family. Photo: Manorama
Happy Birthday VS

VS meets the mother of Jisha, a Dalit girl who was found murdered at her house in Perumbavoor. Photo: Manorama
Happy Birthday VS

VS shares the grief of K.K. Rema, wife of slain RMP leader T.P. Chandrasekharan.
Happy Birthday VS

VS with his 'arch rival' in the party, Pinarayi Vijayan. Photo: Manorama
Happy Birthday VS

Young at heart, VS is only happy to oblige to the demands of little ones. Photo: Manorama
Happy Birthday VS

VS initiating a child into the world of letters during the Vidyarambham ritual. Photo: Manorama
Happy Birthday VS

His plunge into the politics at a young age could have meant VS got little personal time. VS got married to K. Vasumathy on July 17, 1967, at the age of 44. Photo: Manorama
Happy Birthday VS

VS looks on as CPM leader E.M.S. Namboothiripad lays the foundation stone of Communist Party's 50th year memorial at Pinarayi in Kannur. Photo: Manorama
Happy Birthday VS

VS is a popular figure in media. Photo: Manorama

The rise of Balanandan contained the seeds of factionalism that plagued the party for decades to come. The dominant ‘CITU group’ gained in strength under Balanandan. The faction had the tacit support of EMS Namboodiripad.

When Achuthanandan lost out to E.K. Nayanar to the post of the state secretary by just seven votes, the CPM’s reputation as a monolith took a hit. The pace increased when Achuthanandan lost the assembly election at Mararikkulam in 1996.

Happy Birthday VS: CPM veteran turns 94

Achuthanandan's uneasy journey with the party he helped form

Achuthanandan struck back by systematically eliminating the CITU group. The plan hatched at the Kollam state conference was completed at Palakkad, where V.B. Cherian, Appukkuttan Vallikkunnu, M.M. Lawrence, O. Bharathan, K.N. Raveendranath and other leaders were rooted out from the party. Ironically, Achuthanandan’s lieutenants in the attack were younger leaders such as Pinarayi Vijayan, Thomas Isaac and M.A. Baby.

Achuthanandan rewarded Pinarayi by ushering him to the post of the state secretary after Chadayan Govindan died. Pinarayi and the younger lot gradually turned against their mentor.

At the Malappuram party conference, Achuthanandan knew that he was isolated in the party. Pinarayi was the all-powerful boss, defeating 21 comrades loyal to Achuthanandan.

Achuthanandan was not a spent force though. Even though the party barred him from contesting the 2006 election, he rode a wave of popular support that spilled into the street. He relied on the SNC-Lavalin bribery case to strike back at Pinarayi.

Ten years later, Pinarayi had consolidated his position within the party. He was a natural candidate for the chief minister’s post while Achuthanandan had to be contented with the post of the chairman of an Administrative Reforms Commission.

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