Hundreds pay last respects to VS Achuthanandan at AKG Centre
Achuthanandan, who was 101, passed away on Monday while under treatment at SUT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Achuthanandan, who was 101, passed away on Monday while under treatment at SUT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Achuthanandan, who was 101, passed away on Monday while under treatment at SUT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Thiruvananthapuram: The mortal remains of veteran CPM leader and former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan were brought to the old AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday evening, where hundreds gathered to pay their final respects. His body was later taken to his son's residence in Thiruvananthapuram.
The veteran leader's mortal remains will be taken to the Durbar Hall on Tuesday morning for public viewing. From there, the body will be taken in a procession to Alappuzha, his native district, where the funeral will be held at the Valiya Chudukadu burial ground.
Achuthanandan, who was 101, passed away on Monday while under treatment at SUT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He had been bedridden in recent years due to age-related ailments and was admitted to the hospital on June 23 following a severe heart attack. Despite medical care, his condition worsened on Monday, prompting an emergency meeting of the medical board after his blood pressure dropped. He spent 29 days after the cardiac episode.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPM state secretary M V Govindan, state ministers, senior leaders, and representatives from DYFI and SFI were among those who paid tribute at the AKG Centre. Prominent Congress leaders, including A K Antony, also paid their respects. Messages of condolence poured in from across the country, including from figures in political, cultural, and social spheres.
The Kerala government has declared a three-day state mourning to honour Achuthanandan’s legacy. The national flag will be flown at half-mast on all government buildings during the period, and a public holiday has been announced for Tuesday. The holiday is also applicable to banks functioning in the state.
Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, widely known as VS, was one of Kerala’s most influential communist leaders. He served as the state’s Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011 and was a member of the CPM Politburo from 1985 to 2009. A founding member of the CPM, he was among the 32 leaders who broke away from the Communist Party of India in 1964 to form the new party.
VS began his political journey in 1939 through the State Congress and soon after joined the Communist movement, actively organising coir workers, toddy tappers, and farm labourers. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Travancore Karshaka Thozhilali Union, the forerunner of the Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union. A participant in the historic Punnapra-Vayalar uprising of 1946, Achuthanandan spent over five years in jail and nearly four and a half years underground during his political activism.
He served as the CPM's Kerala State Secretary from 1980 to 1992, the LDF convener from 1996 to 2000, and as Leader of the Opposition on three separate occasions—1992–96, 2001–06, and 2011–16. Notably, he remains the longest-serving Opposition Leader in the history of the Kerala Assembly.
As Chief Minister, VS spearheaded landmark initiatives including the Munnar eviction drive to reclaim encroached land, a demolition campaign on Kochi’s MG Road to ease traffic congestion, a crackdown on the lottery mafia, and efforts to combat film piracy. A staunch supporter of free software, he also championed its integration into Kerala’s public education system.