Former Kerala chief minister and veteran CPI(M) leader Vellikakath Sankaran Achuthanandan passed away in Thiruvananthapuram aged 101, the party said Monday.
The government expressed “profound grief” at the demise of the leader, declaring a three-day state mourning till July 24.
An official statement by the state government said that all offices, educational institutions, autonomous institutions, statutory bodies, public sector undertakings, and all establishments under the Negotiable Instruments Act will remain closed on Tuesday.
The National Flag will be flown at half mast on all government buildings in Kerala for the period of mourning.
Achuthanandan's health was critical, and the former CM was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram since last month.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Finance minister KN Balagopal, and other CPI(M) leaders had visited the hospital to see the veteran leader on Monday afternoon, PTI quoted sources as saying.
Vijayan took to X to pay tribute to “Comrade VS”, saying a “glorious era of revolutionary will and persistence” had come to an end.
“As a comrade and a resolute fighter of the people, Comrade VS, as he was fondly known, stands tall as a doyen of Marxist ideology, unyielding in his fight against the exploitative capitalist order,” Vijayan said.
{{/usCountry}}“As a comrade and a resolute fighter of the people, Comrade VS, as he was fondly known, stands tall as a doyen of Marxist ideology, unyielding in his fight against the exploitative capitalist order,” Vijayan said.
{{/usCountry}}Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to X, recalling his interactions with the CPI(M) leader. “Saddened by the passing of former Kerala CM Shri VS Achuthanandan Ji. He devoted many years of his life to public service and Kerala's progress. I recall our interactions when we both served as Chief Ministers of our respective states. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this sad hour,” Modi wrote.
While Achuthanandan was not seen in public much after a stroke in October 2019, he had established himself as a key leader in Kerala politics.
Born on October 20, 1923 in Punnapra in Kerala's Allapuzha district, Achuthananda served as Kerala's chief minister from 2006 to 2011.
A seven-time MLA, Achuthanandan served as CPI(M)'s state secretary from 1980 to 1992. He was among the last surviving members of the group which founded the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1964.
The leader remained on the political scene till the 2016 polls, wherein he campaigned for the LDF at the age of 93 and won from the Malampuzha constituency.