Former Kerala Chief Minister and veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan, one of India’s most respected Communist figures and a key presence in Kerala’s political history, died on Monday at the age of 101, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said.The veteran leader passed away at 3.20 pm while undergoing treatment in the critical care unit of Pattom SUT Hospital, according to an official bulletin issued by the hospital.
Achuthanandan had been receiving treatment since June 23, following a cardiac arrest.
A founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Achuthanandan was a lifelong champion of workers’ rights, land reforms, and social justice.
He served as Kerala’s Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011 and was elected to the state assembly seven times, serving three terms as Leader of the Opposition.
Speaking to reporters at the hospital, Govindan said Achuthanandan’s body would be shifted to the AKG Study and Research Centre in Thiruvananthapuram within an hour, where party workers and the public could pay their respects.