CPM Officially Welcomes Padma Vibhushan for V.S. Achuthanandan; M.V. Govindan Says Previous Stances Were Personal
Thiruvananthapuram: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) state leadership has officially extended its welcome to the Padma Vibhushan award, posthumously bestowed upon former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. CPM State Secretary M.V. Govindan conveyed that both the party and Achuthanandan’s family share equal joy regarding the recognition.
Govindan made this clarification on the party’s stance amidst widespread anticipation in political circles across Kerala regarding how the CPM would react to the honor. He stated that the previous instances of E.M.S. Namboodiripad and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee declining Padma awards were based on their individual political convictions.
He recalled that E.M.S. Namboodiripad had rejected the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 due to his disagreement with the policies of the then Narasimha Rao government. Notably, A.B. Vajpayee, who was also honored with the award at the same time, had accepted it. Similarly, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had also declined the Padma Bhushan in 2022.
The CPM leadership further clarified that the decisions made by former leaders were influenced by the specific circumstances of their times. However, in the case of V.S. Achuthanandan, the party expressed its complete satisfaction. The party views this significant national recognition for V.S., a widely popular leader, with immense pride and fully supports the Achuthanandan family’s happiness over the award.