Comrade VS: The relentless Communist who rose from the working class to lead Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, (PTI):- V S Achuthanandan, a staunch Marxist known for his sharp rhetoric, anti-corruption stance, and unwavering commitment to social justice, was India’s first communist leader from a working-class background to rise to the office of Chief Minister.
A founding figure in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) after the 1964 split in the undivided Communist Party, Achuthanandan’s life in Kerala was defined by unrelenting struggle — against the entrenched injustices of a caste and class-bound society, and against the creeping revisionism he saw within his own party. He died at the age of 101 on Monday.
Whereas his peers–E M S Namboodiripad, Jyoti Basu and E K Nayanar — came from privileged, upper-caste families and were drawn to communism by its intellectual promise, Achuthanandan lived the inequality they fought.
