VS Achuthanandan | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Seven months after the death of VS Achuthanandan, the communist icon and former Chief Minister of Kerala, the nation has posthumously awarded him the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour.
“We receive this honor with great respect and consider it a recognition of his lifelong contributions to public service and governance,” his son VS Arun Kumar told The Hindu over the phone after the award was announced.
The veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) leader and freedom fighter, who died on July 21, 2025, was a prominent presence in Kerala’s political landscape for decades and a symbol of principled public life. At the age of 82, he became the oldest person to assume the office of Chief Minister of Kerala. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition for 15 years, making him the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in the history of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. From 2016 to 2021, he held cabinet rank as chairman of the State Administrative Reform Commission.
Achuthanandan was a member of the politburo of the CPI(M) from 1985 to July 2009 and played a key role in shaping the party’s ideological and organizational direction.
Common people’s causes
As the leader of the opposition, he was widely respected for championing the cause of the common people. His interventions included environmental protection, gender equality, wetlands protection, increased wages for nurses, transgender rights, and the promotion of free and open-source software.
Born on October 20, 1923, Achuthanandan began his political journey at the age of 16 by joining the people’s struggles against feudal landlords and colonial rule in Alappuzha that culminated in the historic Punnapra-Vayalar uprising in October 1946. He cut his political teeth organizing agricultural laborers in Kuttana and Aspinwall. He was forced underground during the fight, later arrested and subjected to severe torture in police custody.
Published – 25 Jan 2026 20:06 IST
