Velikkakathu Sankaran
Achuthanandan, ( ) (born 20 October 1923) is an Indian
politician
who has been the twentieth Chief Minister
of Kerala
state since
May 2006. He has also been a member of the
Politburo of the
Communist Party of India
(CPI(M)) since 1985. He was removed from the Politburo in July,
2009 on the allegations of violation of party discipline by taking
a stand against party line.
Portfolio as Chief Minister
- General Administration
- All India Services
- Planning and Economic Affairs
- Science Technology and Environment
- Scientific Institutes
- Personnel and Administrative Reforms
- Elections
- Administration of Civil and Criminal Justice
- Information Technology
- Sainik Welfare
- Distress Relief
- State Hospitality
- Airports
- Inter State River Waters
- Information and Public Relations
- Non-Resident Keralites Affairs
Early life
Born on 20 October 1923 to Sankaran and Accamma in
Alappuzha district of Kerala state,
Achuthanandan had to face many hurdles from a very early age. He
lost his mother when he was four years old and subsequently lost
his father at age 11. This forced him to quit his studies after
finishing 7
th standard in school. He started working by
helping his elder brother in a village tailoring shop. Later he
took up the job of meshing
coir to make ropes
at a coir factory.
Political life
V.S. Achuthanandan is one of the most prolific leaders of Kerala
Politics. His popularity and acceptance as a leader of the masses
has given the trade union leader to raise up to the Chief Minister
post of Kerala.He entered politics through
trade union activities and joined State Congress
in 1938. In 1940, he became a member of the
Communist Party of India (CPI).
During his 40 years as a politician he was imprisoned for five
years and six months and was in hiding for four and half years. He
was a state secretariat member of the CPI in 1957. During the
Sino-Indian war in 1962, he was with
the nationalists in the party, supporting Indian side.Com.EMS
announced in thalassery that disciplinary action took against V.S
Achuthanandan along with O.V.Joseph(secretariat members)those were
involved in fractional activities.He was demoted in the party rank
when he participated in a blood donation camp to help Indian
soldiers.
He is the only living Keralite
among the 32
members who left the CPI National Council in 1964 to form the
CPI(M). He was Secretary of the Kerala State Committee
between 1980 and 1992.Since 1985 he is the member of the CPI(M)
Polit Bureau until he was removed as a party disciplinary action.
He is the senior most leader of CPI(M) in Kerala.
Suspension
On
May 26,
2007, the
CPI(M) suspended Achuthanandan, along with
Pinarayi Vijayan, state secretary of
CPI(M), from the Politburo for their public remarks on each other.
The central committee has approved the Politburo's decision to
suspend them. Later the central committee revoked the suspension of
VS. Further, on 11 July 9, he was removed from Politburo as a
corrective measure against his public speeches blaming Mr. Pinarayi
Vijayan, which the party saw as inobedience to the party. He was
allowed to continue to serve as Chief Minister.
Leadership
Achuthanandan has served many positions in his long political
career. He was the Kerala State Secretary of the CPI(M) between
1980 and 1992 and he became a member of the Politburo in 1985. He
has also been active in parliamentary politics; he was elected as a
member of
Kerala Legislative
Assembly in 1967, 1970, 1991, 2001 and 2006. He was the Leader
of Opposition in the
Kerala
Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2006.
He was the editor of CPI(M) mouth piece in Malayalam,
Deshabhimani Daily;
2006 Assembly Elections/Removal from PB in July 2009
During the
assembly elections held in Kerala in April-May 2006, VS
Achuthanandan defeated Satheesan Pacheeni of the United Democratic Front by a margin
of 20,017 votes in Malampuzha
constituency in Palakkad
district.On
12 July the CPM Polit bureau and Central Committee removed him from
the PB for his stands taken in relation to the accusation and legal
procedures against Pinarayi Vijayan in his reported involvement in
the Lavlin bribery.
Major achievements
- Initiated action against encroachment on
government land in the hill resort and tea plantation town of
Munnar
.
- On
30 December 2007, he
became the first Communist CM to trail to the 4000-year-old hill
temple of Sabarimala
. The 84-year-old Achuthanandan rejected any
sort of physical or medical support as he worried doctors trying to catch up with him while
trudging non-stop three hours on foot.
- V S Achuthandan supports free and open
source software movement in the state and Richard Stallman has also supported his
activities regarding this.
Issues
Controversies
- During the 2006
Assembly Elections, the party had to revert its decision of not
to field Achuthanandan as a candidate. This was in reaction to
organised protest marches by
Achuthanandan groups across the state. Many people believe that he
had links with the planned demonstration against the party.
However, an enquiry was conducted in this regard and some of his
supporters were punished and the rest would escape.
- The anti-reclamation stir launched by the Kerala State Karshaka
Thozhilali Union (KSKTU) at Mankonpu in
1996-97, under the leadership of Achuthanandan created much
controversy. The protest got the sobriquet following the violent
methods and crop destruction resorted to by the KSKTU cadre. The
stir generated lot of public criticism and Achuthanandan expressed
his disapproval of any further destruction of crops. He was active
in the famous Punnapra-Vayalar
uprising that led to a police shoot-out with many
casualties.
- He initiated the Munnar eviction mission. Massive portions of
land allegedly grabbed over the years by resort owners and
multinational companies like Tata Tea
Limited. Later, the demolition team landed in the city of
Kochi, and other cities in Kerala and recovered huge parts of land
and subsequently. Unfortunately, the mission had failed and even
the team which led it was orphaned. The District Collector
, Inspector
General of Police and the Person in charge had been
replaced. As the opponents’ claim, this may cause to have
lost some credibility of the government. Meanwhile, Achuthanandan
said that the Munnar mission would continue vigorously and extended
to other areas
- Being the chief minister of the state, he has to frequently
face struggle with Pinarayi
Vijayan, the powerful head of the party which leads the ruling
coalition. Both of them are heading for showdowns, which often
lacking Achuthanandan to take strong decisions. This power struggle
often turned worse as both attacking each other. As a result, this
group fights created two set of party leaders and even the
ministers in the government, the name called VS groups and Pinarayi
groups.
- In a statement he called Faris Abubakhar, a businessman in
Kerala as a ‘hated man’ as the latter’s alleged involvement with
the kidney racket in Singapore. Later, during an interview with a
TV channel, Farris Abubacker claimed that he bribed money to VS
Achuthanandan also. Interview video This became controversy
again and VS dismissed the whole allegations made by Farris as
‘fabricated’.
Criticism
- During
the CPM state conference held in Kottayam
, he has been
criticized strongly due to his style of functioning by a majority
of Pinarayi Vijayan supporters (38/53) known as official
faction and they demanded his ouster from Chief
Minister. They warned that the party would lose seats if it
goes for ahead parliamentary elections under his leadership.
- Achuthanandan was heavily criticized for his allegedly highly
insensitive and deplorable comments regards the family of late NSG
commando Major Sandeep
Unnikrishnan who was slain while defending the Mumbai city
against the terror attacks. Allegedly agitated by Achuthanandan's
neglect to timely offer condolences despite even Karnataka Chief
Minister BS Yeddiyurappa having done same, as well as perceived
insult and insensitivity in sending sniffer dogs by CM's security
to a house in mourning, when faced with criticism CM finally wished
to visit, Sandeep's father requested the minister to not to visit.
When Achuthanandan nevertheless still entered the house, he was
humiliated and evicted by the father on live TV. Smarting under the
snub, Achuthanandan as an answer to the question "How would you
react to Sandeep Unnikrishnan's father's statement 'NO Political
dogs shall enter ' " stated during a TV interview that "Is there
any rule that both the Karnataka Chief Minister and Kerala Chief
Minister should go together to his (Sandeep's) home? If not for
Sandeep's house, not even a dog would have gone there."(translated
to English from his reply in Malayalam).
Kerala CM’s remarks invite sharp criticism Sify Faced
by heavy public criticism and furore over this again, Achuthanandan
finally offered a public apology, which was accepted by Sandeep's
father, finally bringing an end to the controversy.
See also
References
- Achuthanandan snubbed by slain Major's
fatherNDTV
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