AIKS Pays Tribute to Comrade V. S. Achuthanandan, Dips Red Flag in His Honour

New Delhi: The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has expressed deep sorrow over the demise of veteran Communist leader and former Kerala Chief Minister Comrade V. S. Achuthanandan, describing him as a towering figure of the Indian peasant and working-class movement. Achuthanandan, 101, passed away recently, leaving behind a rich legacy of political struggle, ideological clarity, and lifelong commitment to the oppressed.

In a statement issued by AIKS President Dr. Ashok Dhawale and General Secretary Vijoo Krishnan, the organisation said it “dips its red banner in honour of Comrade VS,” hailing him as a freedom fighter, organiser, and revolutionary whose contributions shaped the political landscape of Kerala and inspired generations across the country.

Born on October 20, 1923, in Punnapra, Alappuzha, Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan lost both parents at a young age and was forced to abandon formal education after the seventh standard. Growing up amidst the economic hardships of the Great Depression, Achuthanandan developed a deep-rooted anti-imperialist sentiment, which led him to join the Communist movement in 1940 while working at the Aspinwall Company.

Identified early on by Comrade P. Krishna Pillai, VS was sent to organise Dalit and backward caste agricultural workers in Kuttanad — a mission that would mark the beginning of his lifelong dedication to Marxist-Leninist praxis and rural class struggle. He was a key figure in the legendary Punnapra-Vayalar uprising and endured brutal police torture during his revolutionary activism in the post-Independence period, which cemented his unflinching resistance to state oppression.

VS was elected to the Kerala assembly seven times and served three terms as Leader of the Opposition. His tenure as Chief Minister (2006–2011) was widely praised for progressive legislative and administrative reforms that benefited the working class and agrarian communities. His government introduced the pioneering Debt Relief Commission, which provided significant relief to distressed farmers and became a model for other states.

His public life was marked by advocacy for environmental protection, gender justice, the rights of nurses, transgender communities, and promotion of free software. As a committed critic of neo-liberalism, he regularly warned against the impact of “free trade” and corporate commodification of natural resources. His governance also ensured one of the most favourable support prices for paddy cultivation in India.

Within the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Comrade VS held several key roles — including being a member of the Central Committee (from 1964), Polit Bureau member (from 1985), and Kerala State Secretary (1980–1991). He was the last surviving member of the 32-member National Council of the undivided Communist Party that founded CPI(M) in 1964.

Even in his later years, VS wrote passionately about the need to reorganise cooperatives to protect the peasantry from corporate exploitation. AIKS noted that his intellectual and political contributions in the fight against liberalisation and privatisation were unparalleled.

“In his passing, the revolutionary peasant and agricultural workers’ movement has lost its North Star. To fill the vacuum left by VS will undoubtedly be an uphill task,” the AIKS statement said.

AIKS extended its heartfelt condolences to his wife, K. Vasumathy, daughter V. V. Asha, son V. A. Arun Kumar, and grandchildren.