‘You live on through us’: Kerala says goodbye to ‘comrade VS’

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his cabinet colleagues, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, legislators, MPs, leaders from various political parties gave a heroic farewell to Achuthanandan, the last among the founding leaders of the CPI(M).

Earlier in the day, the body of Achuthanandan, who died on Monday when three months were left for him to turn 102, was brought to his hometown Alappuzha.

Thousands of people cutting across party lines gave an emotional farewell to the beloved leader. That VS, a former chief minister, had been away from limelight and active political life since suffering a stroke in 2019 had not impacted the turnout of mourners.

A mourner pays her last respect. (Image source: Kerala PRD)

A flower-decorated low-floor bus, which was converted into a hearse, had a tough time wading through the warmth and love of thousands of people who lined up both sides of the road to give the final “lal salam’’ to the departed leader. Throughout the procession, emotionally-filled people were running along with the cortege for miles until they got exhausted, while some others were seen strewing flower petals on the cortege. Party workers and common man from far flung regions of the state had thronged on the road to give “red salute” to the leader who is known as a darling of the common man and champion of their causes.

The cortege took 22 hours to cover a distance of around 150 kms from Thiruvananthapuram to Alappuzha.

After the cortege reached Alappuzha around noon, the body was taken to his Velikkakathu house at Punnapra, where VS’s wife Vasumathi and other family members gave a tearful adieu.

Later, the body was taken to the Alappuzha district committee office of the CPI(M), which was VS’s second home during his early years of political life in the undivided Communist Party.

Before being ferried to the Valiyachudukadu burial ground, the body was kept at a seaside ground for public viewing, where thousands queued up braving heavy rains to give final farewell to VS.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his cabinet colleagues, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, legislators, MPs, leaders from various political parties gave a heroic farewell to Achuthanandan, the last among the founding leaders of the CPI(M).

The 40 cent burial ground, which is close to communist hearts, is the resting place of martyrs of the 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar uprising and several early leaders of the Communist movement such as T V Thomas, K R Gouriyamma, P T Punnoose, R Sugathan and P K Chandranandan.

Achuthanandan had recalled that he was inspired into political work by Thomas and Sugathan, among others. His pyre was arranged near the resting place of Thomas and Punnose.

Every year, VS used to pay tributes to the martyrs on the commemoration of the event in October. The last time he visited Valiyachudukadu was during the annual commemoration in October 2019 and that was his last public function, before being bedridden.