Koch: Former Kerala Chief Minister Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, or VS, of CPM turned 100 years old today. The veteran communist leader was born on October 20, 1923 to Sankaran and Accamma Punnapra in Alappuzha. He lost his mother when he was only four and father at 11. Despite being good at studies, financial problems forced him to drop out at seventh standard and assist his elder brother in a tailoring shop. As financial difficulties continued to haunt him, he got a job in a coir rope unit. It was during this period he became active in trade union activities due to the deplorable condition prevailing in the coir units at the age of 16. He became very popular among the workers catapulting him into the central stage of leftist movement. He became a member of the CPI in 1940.
He was imprisoned for over five years on various occasions. Achuthanandan is the only surviving member from among the 32 leaders who left the CPI National Council in 1964 to form the CPM. He was the party’s state Secretary from 1980 to 1992. Achuthanandan was a member of the politburo from 1985 until his removal as a party disciplinary action in 2009. He was the oldest person to become chief minister at the age of 82 years in 2006. His elevation to the post was full of drama and political rivalry with Pinarayi Vijayan.It all started as he was denied a ticket to contest the elections in 2006. After projecting him as the chief ministerial candidate in 2015, he was deprived of the post and was made state Administrative Reforms Chief. He served as Leader of the Opposition three times.
Achuthanandan’s mission to evict encroachments across the state sent his popularity to the crescendo. This earned him the wrath of the party which forced the government to dump the popularly known Munnar mission midway. As the Chief Minister he took strong action against film piracy, the lottery mafia, promoted free software. His government was instrumental in developing country’ maiden central project International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) in Kochi. His government promoted IT parks in different districts, executed the Mobility Hub in Kochi. Approval for Kannur International airport, Kochi metro were given during his tenure. Achuthanandan was the first Chief Minister to trek Sabarimala hill shrine at the age of 84.
VS turns 100
