CPI(M) pushes back against the ‘capital punishment’ controversy centred around late V.S.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has pushed back against the “capital punishment” controversy centred around the late leader and former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who died at the age of 101 on July 21.

The recent portrayal by two former CPI(M) insiders that the party had singled out Achuthanandan for harsh criticism during its 2015 State conference in Alappuzha, forcing the veteran to exit the venue in distress, sparked the dispute, which erupted, discomfortingly for the party, in the wake of the outpouring of public grief for the departed leader.

The controversy flared last week after former CPI(M) legislator and dramatist Pirappancode Murali alleged that a young leader had rhetorically recommended ‘capital punishment’ for Achuthanandan, following the presentation of a ‘chargesheet’, accusing the veteran of pursuing a cult of the individual that undervalued the role of the party and the masses in the struggle for working-class goals.

On Friday (July 25, 2025) last, CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan dismissed Mr. Murali’s averments, terming them “pure nonsense”. He noted that Mr. Murali was no longer a party member and alleged that the latter had stoked controversy to get traction for an upcoming memoir. He accused the “right-wing” media of “vilifying communist leaders when alive and canonising them when dead to weaken the party”.

Nevertheless, the dispute appeared to gain some political momentum on Sunday (July 27, 2025), with CPI(M)‘s former MP, Suresh Kurup, seemingly endorsing Mr. Murali’s allegations in an opinion piece published by a leading Malayalam daily on the same day.

In the article reminiscing about his long years in the CPI(M) with Achuthanandan, Mr. Kurup alleged that a “young woman leader old enough to be Achuthanandan’s granddaughter had recommended capital punishment” at the State conference for the leaders’ perceived transgressions.

General Education Minister and CPI(M) State Committee member rejected the accusations. “The State conference elevated me to the State committee. No such thing transpired as alleged”, he stated.

Another CPI(M) State committee member, Kadakampally Surendran, said the accusations “were startling and aimed at slurring the character of rising stars in the party, including M. Swaraj”. He said the “right-wing media” hounded Achutnandan and Kodiyeri in their lifetime.

“Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan endured waves of spirited smear campaigns aimed at weakening the party. “Kerala has historically dismissed such false and malicious campaigns against Communists. The current controversy will be short-lived”, he added.