Thiruvananthapuram: VS Achuthanandan, a towering figure in Kerala politics and India's most senior communist party leader, passed away on Monday. He was 101. Due to prolonged illness, he was bedridden in recent years. He died at 3.20 pm at the SUT Hospital, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, where he was undergoing treatment. 

He was admitted to the SUT on June 23, following a severe heart attack. He survived for another 29 days.

The Medical Board convened an emergency meeting on Monday at noon after his blood pressure dropped. His mortal remains will be shifted to the AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, where the public can pay their last respects. A public viewing will be held at the Darbar Hall on Tuesday. His body will then be taken to Alappuzha as a procession. The funeral will be held at the Valiya Chudukadu burial ground. 

Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, known by his initials VS, served as the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011 and was a prominent leader of the CPM for decades.

Achuthanandan was the longest-serving opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly, holding the position for 15 years. He was a member of the CPM Politburo from 1985 until 2009, after which he was moved to the party’s Central Committee.

He joined the Communist Party in 1940 after beginning his political journey through trade union activities and the State Congress in 1939. He played a crucial role in organising coir factory workers, toddy tappers, and agricultural labourers. He was instrumental in founding the Travancore Karshaka Thozhilali Union, the predecessor of the Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union.

Achuthanandan took part in several historic people’s movements and was one of the key leaders of the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising in 1946. He endured significant personal sacrifices during his political life, including over five years in prison and nearly four and a half years living underground.

A founding member of the CPM, he was among the 32 leaders who walked out of the Communist Party of India’s National Council in 1964 to form the new party. He later served as the Secretary of the CPM Kerala State Committee from 1980 to 1992, the LDF convener between 1996 and 2000, and Leader of the Opposition in three separate terms—1992 to 1996, 2001 to 2006, and 2011 to 2016.

During his tenure as Chief Minister, Achuthanandan launched several notable initiatives. These included the Munnar eviction drive, which reclaimed acres of encroached government land, a demolition drive in Kochi’s MG Road to restore road space, a high-profile campaign against the lottery mafia, and a crackdown on film piracy. Achuthanandan was passionate about free software and spearheaded efforts to introduce it in the state's public education system.