Former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, one of India’s most respected Communist leaders and a key figure in Kerala’s political history, died on Monday at the age of 101, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said here.
The veteran leader died at a private hospital here while undergoing treatment following a cardiac arrest nearly a month ago, he told reporters. Achuthanandan, a founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was a lifelong champion of workers’ rights, land reforms, and social justice.
He had largely withdrawn from public life after suffering a stroke in 2019. Last Monday, he was admitted to the hospital following a cardiac arrest and had remained on life support since then.
A stalwart of the Left movement, Achuthanandan was among the 32 leaders who broke away from the undivided Communist Party of India in 1964 to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
He served as the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011 and held the position of Leader of the Opposition for three terms — 1991 to 1996, 2001 to 2006, and 2011 to 2016.