New Delhi, July 21 -- Former Kerala Chief Minister and veteran Marxist leader VS Achuthanandan passed away on Monday. He was 101 years old.

The veteran leader died at a private hospital in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram while undergoing treatment following a cardiac arrest nearly a month ago, said CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan.

Fondly known as VS, VS Achuthanandan served as Kerala's Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011 and was elected to the state assembly seven times, serving three terms as Leader of the Opposition.

The deceased veteran leader was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was a lifelong champion of workers' rights, land reforms, and social justice.

In 1964, Achuthanandan left the Communist Party of ...