Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 5 (IANS) V.A. Arunkumar, son of legendary Communist leader V.S. Achuthanandan, has dropped strong hints that the Padma Vibhushan award conferred posthumously on his father might not be accepted by the family.

On Thursday night, taking to his social media account, Arunkumar posted the January 29-dated letter from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs informing him of the award conferred on his father.

However, in his brief note, he wrote: “We have been informed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs that a decision has been taken to confer one of India’s highest civilian honours, the Padma Vibhushan, on my late father, V.S. Achuthanandan. I am sharing below the letter received today in this regard.”

“The love and respect that the people have consistently shown towards V.S., who walked alongside Kerala’s public life for decades through mass struggles and unwavering political positions, has always been a great source of strength for us. We view this honour as a recognition of his public life.”

“However, the movement he represented had a clear political stand on accepting such official honours. As a Communist, he always firmly upheld those values and party decisions. The family’s decision on this matter will be in keeping with my father’s ideals and the party’s position.”

“We believe that the place V.S. holds in the hearts of the people is greater than any award. We express our gratitude for the affection and respect the people continue to bestow upon him.”

The note written by Arunkumar assumes significance in the backdrop of the party’s past positions.

During the Narasimha Rao government, veteran Communist leader E.M.S. Namboodiripad declined the Padma Vibhushan in line with party policy.

In 1996, when the United Front government explored conferring the Bharat Ratna on then West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, both Basu and the CPI(M) conveyed in advance that the honour would not be accepted, leading to the proposal being dropped.

Similar positions were taken in the cases of Harkishan Singh Surjeet and, more recently, former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who rejected the Padma Bhushan in 2022.

Party sources point out that earlier rejections were rooted in the belief that Communists work for social change and not for awards, and that state honours represent recognition from the ruling establishment.

They added that with Arunkumar making his stand clear, it is only a matter of time before the party formally clarifies its position.

–IANS

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