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Tag: VS Achuthanandan

  • Hamlet with out the Prince of Denmark: Ailing VS Achuthanandan to overlook CPM state convention

    By Express News Service

    KOCHI: VS Achuthanandan, the one surviving member among the many 32 leaders who walked out of the CPI Central Committee in 1964 and floated the CPM, will miss the occasion state convention starting right here on Tuesday. Age and poor well being have rendered the 98-year-old warhorse bedridden forcing him to steer clear of the meet.

    Express Photo

    This is the primary time VS is lacking the CPM state convention and his absence has actually turned the meet to Hamlet with out the Prince of Denmark. He might need misplaced many of the battles he led inside the occasion. He might need been sidelined and marginalised like no different senior chief earlier than or after him.

    Yet, the 2 letters, VS, was the focus of the CPM state conferences for lengthy. Though considerably dwarfed by the presence of E M S Namboodiripad and A Okay Gopalan within the early years, VS got here out of their shadow and emerged tall within the Eighties and 90s.

    All state conferences within the final three a long time revolved round him. His agency stand towards revisionism within the CPM sparked off heated debates whereas his inflexible perspective triggered frictions that led to factionalism inside the occasion.

    Despite dropping battles to realize management over the occasion on many events, VS succeeded in hogging limelight throughout the triennial meets, with all discussions and media stories hovering round his actions and utterances in addition to these criticising him. However, VS is maintaining himself up to date on the occasions on the state meet, his son V A Arunkumar stated in an FB put up.

  • VS Achuthanandan lacking amongst CPM leaders’ portraits at state meet venue

    By Express News Service

    KOCHI: CPM has painted Kochi pink because it will get able to host the three-day state convention from March 1, however the portrait of VS Achuthanandan, 98, the one founding member of the occasion alive, is conspicuous by absence on the streets and the principle venue, although posters of all outstanding previous and current leaders are on show.

    VS, as the previous chief minister is popularly recognized, is now bedridden. But ignoring the one surviving member from among the many 32 who walked out of the CPI National Council in 1964 to kind CPM is shocking, contemplating that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had moved on from his bitter struggle with Achuthanandan way back. Further, Achuthanandan was made the chairman of the Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission with a cabinet rank within the first Pinarayi authorities.

    Portraits of different founding members together with E M S Namboodiripad, A Okay Gopalan, Harkishan Singh Surjeet and Jyoti Basu are prominently displayed throughout the streets and Marine Drive, the principle venue. Other occasion leaders like Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat, Pinarayi and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan additionally have gotten a satisfaction of place. 

    ‘Decency demands VS portrait to be placed at CPM conference venue’

    Sources stated the occasion has chosen to place up portraits of solely its politburo members and departed leaders. “One shouldn’t read too much into it. It’s just that we have decided to put up portraits and banners only of our politburo members and leaders who passed away,” a supply stated.

    The occasion’s determination to disregard Achuthanandan has stunned political observers. Political analyst J Prabhash stated the occasion might need determined to incorporate solely these leaders who’ve handed away or those that within the politburo in its posters, however Achuthanandan may have been an exception. “Anyway, he is incapacitated. Minimum ethics and decency demand VS portrait to be placed at the venue or the streets,” Prabhash stated.

  • In a primary, poll-bound Kerala misses its greatest crowd-puller – VS Achuthanandan

    Express News Service
    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 12 months 1957. Kerala was headed in direction of its first elections. A 34-year-old was the district secretary of the undivided Communist Party in Kollam. Alappuzha district was not even shaped. He was in control of campaigning within the area and the Left received 9 out of the 11 seats beneath his command. The title of the younger chief: VS Achuthanandan. 

    During the 1958 Devikulam bypoll, political Kerala got here throughout a masterstroke by VS who was then the election secretary to Rosamma Punnoose. Her opponent was B Ok Nair, for whom a slew of senior Congress leaders together with Indira Gandhi had flown down and campaigned. The Congress was fairly certain of a snug win. 

    But VS had different plans in thoughts. M G Ramachandran — the one and solely MGR of Indian cinema and Tamil politics — was capturing in Munnar. VS managed to get MGR to marketing campaign for the Left in a constituency which had a considerable variety of Tamil voters. Incidentally, that was the one time MGR campaigned within the state. The relaxation is historical past. Rosamma received by a margin of over 7,000 votes. 

    With Kerala set to witness one more election, the state certainly misses its Communist patriarch. Now 97, VS has by no means missed an election marketing campaign in his seven-decade political profession, save for this one. And this time, he isn’t just staying away from campaigning, however it’s also uncertain whether or not he would even solid his vote a primary in his life.

    VS was as soon as termed Kerala’s personal Fidel Castro by CPM basic secretary Sitaram Yechury. With VS staying away from campaigning, that political Kerala misses its star campaigner may be very evident. The greatest crowd-puller for the Left in current occasions has remained inactive due to his superior age. 

    “The absence of VS from campaigning has definitely created a political vacuum of sorts this assembly election. His absence will be grossly felt. For many years, I have wished only two people on their birthdays — VS and K R Gowri Amma,” Congress veteran A Ok Antony instructed TNIE. He additionally expressed his need to go to the veteran Communist.

    VS final addressed a serious marketing campaign rally in October 2019, albeit just for a couple of minutes. The rally was held for CPM’s Vattiyoorkavu candidate V Ok Prasanth at Kuravankonam.  Even at 96, he proved to be the most important crowd-puller within the state’s electoral historical past. In a three-and-a-half minute speech, VS managed to the touch upon nearly all subjects that had then hogged state politics. 

    A former chief minister himself, VS served because the chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission for 5 years, stepping down this January. Curtains have nearly come down for his greater than seven-decade-long political profession.  With campaigning now reaching a crescendo, Kerala sorely misses the sharp salvos that VS used to fireplace in any respect electoral opponents of the Left entrance.

    Frenzied plenty held on to every phrase, savouring with relish his correct barbs and putting analogies that rung true with the frequent man.  The stage now appears starkly empty with hardly anybody within the state’s political spectrum capable of match VS’ fast repartees and his colloquial method with phrases that by no means did not win the hearts of his adoring viewers.

    Country’s oldest dwelling CommunistA founder-leader of the CPM, V S Achuthanandan is the oldest dwelling Communist in India. He was among the many 32 leaders who walked out of the historic CPI nationwide council meet in 1964 to kind the CPM. VS, who started his political profession as a commerce unionist, has been within the forefront of land struggles and was additionally a part of the long-lasting Punnapra-Vayalar battle.

  • Former Kerala CM VS Achuthanandan takes Covid vaccine

    By Express News Service
    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM veteran and former chief minister VS Achuthanandan took the primary shot of Covid-19 vaccine. The 97-year-old chief took the primary dose from the Government General Hospital Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. VS has not been energetic within the election marketing campaign on account of his deteriorating well being. 

    “He along with family members went to General Hospital at around 9.25 am and took the first shot. He took rest for about half-and hour and came back. His wife K Vasumathy had taken the vaccine earlier,” mentioned household sources. 

    VS has been affected by outdated age-related diseases and is now on the home of his son VA Arun Kumar. Recently he stepped down as chairman of the State Administrative Reforms Commission. 

    Earlier Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and ministers KK Shailaja, E Chandrasekharan and Ramachandran Kadannappally had taken the primary dose of Covid vaccine. The first part of the vaccination drive started throughout the nation on Monday. 

  • Pinarayi govt regularising VS-term appointments: Chennithala

    By Express News Service
    KOCHI: Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala turned the screws additional on the LDF authorities over the recruitment row saying the Pinarayi Vijayan regime, in its final days in workplace, is regularising the momentary appointments made by the earlier VS Achuthanandan authorities.“Pinarayi’s declare that his authorities regularised the momentary appointments made throughout Oommen Chandy’s time period is fake. He is saying those that accomplished 10 years of momentary service will probably be regularised.

    But these individuals are CPM members they usually had been appointed throughout the remaining yr of the Achuthanandan authorities,”  mentioned Chennithala because the UDF’s Aishwarya Kerala Yatra entered Ernakulam district on Thursday.Chennithala mentioned it was flawed on the a part of the federal government to say these staging protests in entrance of the Secretariat didn’t determine within the rank record. 

    “The Facebook posts of these persons who had criticised the government for appointing them despite figuring in the rank list are being discussed widely even now. So it shows the government’s double standard,” mentioned Chennithala.“The CM should hold talks with the agitating rank-holders and try to end their protest. He is humiliating them just like PM Narendra Modi is doing with the farmers in Delhi,” mentioned Chennithala.

    The UDF employees accorded reception to the yatra at Angamaly, Aluva, North Paravur and Kochi. Chandy inaugurated the valedictory assembly at Marine Drive.“The LDF government has forgotten the people. If they are pro-people, they would have reduced the surplus tax imposed by the state government on fuel at a time when the price of petroleum products is sky-rocketing,” mentioned Chandy. The UDF authorities had given up a income of Rs 617 crore by removing the excess tax when costs had been hiked,” he added.

  • Kerala: VS Achuthanandan more likely to step down as chief of administrative reforms fee

    Former Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan is more likely to step down from the publish of chairman of the executive reforms fee, a supply near the chief confirmed Saturday.
    The 97-year-old Communist chief has chosen to surrender workplace as a result of well being causes and has already vacated his official residence at Kowdiar in Thiruvananthapuram. He has moved to his son Arun Kumar’s residence within the metropolis.
    While a proper resignation is awaited, an official stated the announcement shall be made quickly because the chief has already accomplished all of the duties below his purview. The determination comes in step with the completion of the tenure of the LDF authorities in May this yr.

    Achuthanandan, who served because the state’s chief minister between 2006 and 2011, was made the top of the then newly-formed administrative reforms fee in 2016 after the LDF got here to energy. It was seen because the LDF transfer to accommodate and hold Achuthanandan in good humour in return for making Pinarayi Vijayan the chief minister. Both leaders share a hostile relationship inside the celebration.
    Achuthanandan, as a result of age-related sicknesses, has been preserving away from the general public limelight for the previous yr, particularly after Covid-19 infections surged within the state. He had campaigned for the LDF at just a few public rallies in 2019 on account of public request.