Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala former Chief Minister, Comrade VS Achuthanandan (101) passes away on Monday, after a long hospitalization. He was admitted to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on June 23^rd after he suffered a cardiac arrest at home. He had been on ventilator support in the ICU.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM State Secretary MV Govindan have rushed to the hospital to meet the family. Steady streams of political leaders are already making a beeline for the hospital to pay their respects.

VS Achuthanandan the icon of Communist movement, lifelong fighter for the rights of disadvantaged sections and a towering presence in state politics, He had withdrawn from public life after he suffered a minor stroke in 2019.

He had quit as the Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Committee in January 2021. He had been staying alternately with his son or daughter in Thiruvananthapuram.

A founder leader of CPM after the split in undivided party in 1964, Achuthanandan’s populist stance and uncompromising image winning him admiration across party lines.

He had been the Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2006, when he had spearheaded the attack on the UDF Government led by AK Antony. In 2006, he led the CPM-led LDF to victory and served as Chief Minister till 2011.

In 2011, he crafted the LDF campaign and leading from the front, came close to securing a second term, but the Oommen Chandy-led UDF had managed a narrow victory, securing 72 of the 140 seats in the state Assembly.

The veteran leader was no stranger to controversies his frequent clashes with rival Pinarayi Vijayan often generating headlines.