Comrade Kodiyeri Will Live In Our Struggles
Subin Dennis
Comrade Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and former Secretary of the CPI(M) Kerala State Committee, passed away on the evening of 1st October. He was undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with cancer. He was 69 years old.
Comrade Balakrishnan was a brilliant organizer and a leader who led the movement with great acumen during difficult times. He was particularly known for being able to build bridges even with people who are rancorous toward him or the party’s positions, and for tackling difficult questions with a smile and without bitterness. At the same time, he was firm when it came to fighting class enemies.
Having begun political activism as part of the student movement, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan played a major role in building up the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) as the leading student organization in Kerala, with deep roots in all parts of the state. He served as the State Secretary of SFI from 1973 to 1978, and also served as all India Joint Secretary of the organization.
He became active in squad work to defend the Muslim minorities who were being attacked by the fascist, Hindu supremacist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during the 1971 riots in Thalassery, Kannur. He had already become a branch secretary of the CPI(M) in 1970 at a very young age.
During the Internal Emergency of 1975-77 in India when democracy was suspended by the central government, he was beaten up by the police and imprisoned for 16 months under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan went on to serve as the Kannur District Secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) from 1980 to 1982. He was elected to the CPI(M) Kerala State Committee in 1988 and served as the Kannur District Secretary of the party for five years from 1990. He was elected to the CPI(M) Kerala State Secretariat in 1995. He also served as the Kerala State Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS; All India Peasant Union) and as a member of the AIKS Council.
Elected to the CPI(M) Central Committee in 2002, Comrade Kodiyeri was elected to the CPI(M) Polit Bureau in 2008.
He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from the Thalassery constituency in 1982, 1987, 2001, 2006, and 2011. He was the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in 2001 and in 2011.
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan served as the Minister for Home Affairs and Tourism during the tenure of the Left Democratic Front ministry of 2006-11. He played a leading role in modernizing the police and in improving the service conditions of police officers. ‘Janamaithri Police’, an initiative to make the police more people-friendly, was introduced during his term as Home Minister. Kerala became the state with the best law and order in India during this time.
Comrade Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was elected as the Kerala State Secretary of the CPI(M) in 2015, and was re-elected to the position in 2018 and in 2022. He played a stellar role in energizing and mobilizing the party to enable it to win a historic victory in the State Legislative Assembly elections in 2021 – it was for the first time since 1980 that an incumbent party or coalition had won a second consecutive term in Kerala.
As his health condition worsened, he stepped down from his position as the CPI(M) State Secretary, with Comrade MV Govindan taking up the mantle in August 2022. When asked about his illness sometime back during a press conference, Comrade Balakrishnan said, “Should I just keep crying? Is there any other option but to confront it?” As he made a public appearance last month, giving an inspiring speech at the inauguration of the EK Nayanar Charitable Trust – an initiative of the CPI(M) – it seemed to many that Comrade Kodiyeri might return to health soon. But that was not to be.
Comrade Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will not die. He will live on in our struggles, and in the movement that he helped to build.
Subin Dennis is a researcher at Tricontinental Research, India.
Follow us for regular updates!
Telegram
t.me/studentstrugglein
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/studentstrugglemonthly
WhatsApp
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BvEXdIEy1sqIP0YujRhbDR
Twitter
https://twitter.com/StudentStruggl4