Former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan passed away at the age of 101. He was one of the founding leaders of the Communist Party of India. . Achuthanandan served as the 11th Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. Mr. Achuthanandan had withdrawn from public life after he suffered a minor stroke in 2019. He had since led an assisted life at his son, V. Arun Kumar’s, residence in Thiruvananthapuram. He had been in the ICU at SUT Hospital since June 23 after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Achuthanandan initiated various actions as the Chief Minister, including the demolition drive in Munnar which claimed back acres of illegally occupied land,the demolition drive in Kochi M. G. Road which claimed back the long lost shoulder of the road, anti-piracy drive against film-piracy, his struggle against the Lottery mafia in the state. He was instrumental in convicting former minister R. Balakrishna Pillai on charges of corruption. Achuthanandan also took the lead in promoting free software in the state, and especially in adopting free software in the public education system of the state