Published Feb 06, 2026 | 8:22 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 06, 2026 | 8:22 AM
V S Achuthanandan. (Wikimedia Commons)
Synopsis: The family of late CPI(M) veteran and former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan said they will abide by the CPI(M) decision on whether to accept Padma Vibhushan. His son Arun Kumar said that Achuthanandan’s place in public life went far beyond any formal honour.
The family of late CPI(M) veteran and former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan said they will abide by the CPI(M)’s decision on whether to accept Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour, announced posthumously by the Union government.
In a social media post on Thursday, 5 February, Achuthanandan’s son Arun Kumar confirmed receiving an official communication from the Union Home Ministry informing the family of the decision to confer the prestigious award on his father.
He also shared a copy of the letter.
“The love and respect shown by the people towards VS, who has walked with the Kerala public for decades through popular struggles and unwavering political stances, is always a great strength for us,” Arun Kumar said, describing the honour as a recognition of his father’s long public life.
However, he made it clear that the family would uphold the ideological position Achuthanandan had maintained throughout his political career.
“The movement he represented has clear political stances regarding the acceptance of such official awards. As a communist, he always stood firmly by those values and by the decisions of the party. The family’s decision will be in line with the ideals of my father and the party’s stance,” the post said.
Arun Kumar added that Achuthanandan’s place in public life went far beyond any formal honour.
“We believe that the place VS holds in the hearts of the people is greater than any award,” he said, thanking the public for the affection shown towards the late leader.
The family’s position comes amid visible discomfort within the CPI(M) following the Modi government’s decision to confer the Padma Vibhushan on Achuthanandan.
While the Kerala unit of the CPI(M) had initially welcomed the announcement, party General Secretary MA Baby had stated that the communist stalwart would not have accepted the award had he been alive.
At the same time, Baby underlined that the final call rested with the family, reflecting the party’s long-standing convention of declining state honours.
The award announcement put the CPI(M) in a tight spot, given its consistent ideological position against accepting official honours from the state.
Several towering figures of the party, including EMS Namboodiripad, Harkishen Singh Surjeet, Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, had famously declined national awards when they were offered to them.
Achuthanandan, widely regarded as one of Kerala’s most mass-oriented communist leaders, was known for his uncompromising political positions and lifelong identification with Left ideals.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Dileep V Kumar.)
