Nation honours V.S. Achuthanandan with Padma Vibhushan

Seven months after the passing of V.S. Achuthanandan, communist icon and former Chief Minister of Kerala, the nation has posthumously honoured him with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award.

“We receive this honour with great respect and regards this as recognition of his lifelong contributions to public service and administration,” his son, V.S. Arun Kumar, told The Hindu over the phone following the award announcement.

The veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader and freedom fighter, who passed away on July 21, 2025, was a towering presence in Kerala’s political landscape for decades and a symbol of principled public life. At the age of 82, he became the oldest person to assume office as the Chief Minister of Kerala. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition for 15 years, making him the longest-serving Leader of the Opposition in the history of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. From 2016 to 2021, he held Cabinet rank as the chairperson of the State Administrative Reforms Commission.

Achuthanandan was a member of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau from 1985 until July 2009 and played a key role in shaping the party’s ideological and organisational direction.

Causes of common people

As Leader of the Opposition, he was widely respected for championing the causes of the common people. His interventions spanned environmental protection, gender equality, wetland conservation, improved wages for nurses, transgender rights, and the promotion of free and open-source software.

Born on October 20, 1923, Achuthanandan began his political journey at the age of 16 by joining popular struggles against feudal landlords and colonial rule in Alappuzha, which culminated in the historic Punnapra–Vayalar uprising of October 1946. He cut his political teeth by organising indentured agricultural labourers and Aspinwall factory workers in Kuttanad. Forced underground during the struggle, he was later arrested and subjected to severe torture in police custody.