V.S. Achuthanandan played one of the leading roles in the transformation of Kerala into a modern State, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. He was speaking at a condolence meeting organised here on Friday by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) State committee for Achuthanandan, former Chief Minister and founding leader of the CPI(M), who passed away on July 21.

“VS’s life is deeply intertwined with the historic Punnapra-Vayalar uprising which took an uncompromising stand to make united Kerala a reality. At a time when it was difficult to organise farm workers, he took a lead role in it. He endured brutal torture in jail, but this only strengthened his resolve to fight for the Communist movement. Some of the most eventful years in his public life were as the Leader of the Opposition, when he made many substantial interventions and reached the farthest corners of Kerala to expose wrongdoing. As the Chief Minister, he played a key role in developmental and welfare efforts,” said Mr.Vijayan.

He said that Achuthanandan’s passing away is an irreparable loss not just for the Communist movement, but also for movements for democracy across the country.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that Achuthanandan had an open mind to accept and imbibe progressive ideas even at old age. He focussed on environmental issues even before they were in vogue.

“During his tenure as the Chief Minister, I had on many occasions levelled criticism against the government in the Assembly. But, when it came to issues that he was really concerned about, he used to agree with the Opposition, even if it was raised by us. The debates on the lottery mafia was which led to qualitative outcomes and led to the ban on lottery from other States. Though many of us have criticised his language in the past, we realised that it was a language that evolved from working amid the common people,” he said.

Communist Party of India (CPI) State Secretary Binoy Viswam said that Achuthanandan imbibed the ideals of Marxism and implemented it in practice based on his own real world understanding.

CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan presided over the function in which Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph, former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan, Archbishop of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram Thomas J. Netto, Palayam Imam V. P. Suhaib Moulavi, Sree Narayana Dharma Sangam Trust general secretary Swami Subhangananda, Metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox Church’s Thiruvananthapuram diocese Gabriel Mar Gregorios and others spoke.