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V.S. Achuthanandan
Chief Minister of Kerala
Preceded by	Oommen Chandy
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Constituency	Malampuzha
Born	October 20, 1923 (1923-10-20) (age 84) Alappuzha, Kerala
Political party	Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Spouse	K. Vasumathy (Married July 18, 1967)
Children	1 son and 1 daughter
Religion	None
Website	http://www.keralacm.gov.in
As of May 18, 2006 Source: Government of Kerala

Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, (Malayalam:വേലിക്കകത്ത് ശങ്കരന്‍ അച്യുതാനന്ദന്‍) (20 October 1923 – ) is the twentieth Chief Minister of Kerala state, India. He was a Politburo member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) from 1985 to May 2007. Known as "Comrade VS".

Born on 20 October 1923 to Sankaran and Accamma in Alappuzha district of Kerala state, Achuthanandan had to face poverty from a very early age.^{[citation needed]} He lost his mother when he was four years old and father when he was 11 years old. This forced him to give up 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.

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)^{[citation needed]}. During his 40 years as a politician he was imprisoned for five years and six months^{[citation needed]} and had gone under 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. He was demoted in the party rank when he participated in a blood donation camp to help Indian soldiers. He is the only one living Keralite among the 32 members who left the CPI National Council in 1964 to form the CPI(M). He is the senior most leader of CPI(M) in Kerala.

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 controvesy. The protest got the sobriquetvettinirathal samaram 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^{[citation needed]} that led to a police shootout killing many.

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 CM Suspended. The central committee has approved the Politburo's decision to suspend them. Later the central committee revoked the suspension of VS.^[1]

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 the member of the Politburo in 1985. He was also active in parliamentary politics as he became the 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, later he was removed from the post. V.S. Achuthanandan and E. Balanandan were opposing each other earlier on the issue of Trade Union independence, but both united to fight against their enemies in the aprty by forming a GROUP. PB has intervened in the "Vizhupplakkal" and called for a united party

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. The party had to revert its decision not to field Achuthanandan, due to planned demonstartions against Party at its OWN head quarters. many suspect that VS has links with the planned demonstration against Party. but after enquiry some of his supporters were punished and others escaped.

As a Chief Minister of the state of Kerala he has succeeded in the revival of several public sector units, measures to tackle price rises, reaching an agreement on the Smart City project in Kochi(most of the work which had done by his predecessor Oommen Chandy) and the initiating firm action against encroachment of government land in the hill resort and tea plantation town of Munnar.

• http://www.keralacm.gov.in
• http://www.tehelka.com/story_main20.asp?filename=Ne100706upclose.asp

• Comrade VS On the Net
• Official biography
• Indian Express profile
• Anti-reclamation stir comes full circle
• Kerala Governrnment's Official website
• Kerala takes the fizz out of Coke & Pepsi
• Achuthanandan, Pinarayi Vijayan suspended