Kerala comes out on the streets to bid an emotional farewell to V.S. Achuthanandan

Crowds gather unbidden, drawn by an unseen emotional bond formed over many decades, when true mass leaders depart. Kerala witnessed one such outpouring of grief on its streets on Tuesday, over the passing of a leader whose life trajectory and political journey closely parallels that of the modern history of the State, freed from the chains of feudal oppression.

When people gathered on either side of the road from the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram to his hometown Alappuzha to catch one last glimpse of former Kerala Chief Minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader V.S. Achuthanandan, who passed away on Monday, it also became an occasion to recount that history.

68-year old Prasad, a former headload worker who made the journey from Bharathannoor to the capital city ignoring his spinal issues, reminisced about participating in protests that the departed leader led. 72-year old Sadasivan from Neyyattinkara has been a staunch follower of Achuthanandan since the emergency days, when the leader was jailed.

Women’s reservation

Women came in droves to pay respects to the leader, with many of them recounting the several instances in which he fought for justice for survivors of sexual assault. Some of the women local body members remembered the Bill ensuring 50% reservation for women in local bodies which was passed during his tenure, a move which revolutionised women’s participation in governance. A huge number of young people too lined the streets, inspired by the ideals he stood for, and in a way countering the refrain of “the last communist,” which has accompanied the deaths of popular left leaders in recent decades. With people gathering in huge numbers, the hearse made slow progress, covering only 10 kilometres in the first five hours.

Earlier in the day, the mortal remains of the leader was carried in the hearse from the his residence and placed at the Durbar Hall in the Secretariat for the public to pay their last respects. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan, CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Brinda Karat and Prakash Karat and Ministers escorted the body to the hall.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, leaders of all political parties, MLAs, trade union leaders, writers, artists, film artistes and people from all walks of life made a beeline to the Durbar Hall till 2 p.m., when the body was carried out to the modified KSRTC bus which was turned into a hearse allowing public to have a clear view of the leader. Teary-eyed and with cracking voices, the people bid goodbye with revolutionary slogans as Achuthanandan passed by them for one last time. The slogans never ceased throughout the journey, which is expected to reach Alappuzha only early on Wednesday.