From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, (Malayalam: വേലിക്കകത്ത് ശങ്കരന് അച്യുതാനന്ദന്) (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
(Marxist) (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 7th 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.
[1][2]
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. [3][4]
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 [5]
- V S Achuthandan supports free and open source software movement in the
state and Richard Stallman has also supported
his activities regarding this. [6]
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. [7][8]
- 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. [9]
- 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[10][11][12]
- 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. [13][14]
- 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’. [15]
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. [16][17]
- 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. [18][19]
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).[20]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
Further
read
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
