E M S Nampoodiripad - 102nd Birth day of the Legend

The 14th national seminar on EMS Namboodirippad titled EMS-inte Lokam, has begun in Kottackal on his 102nd birth anniversary.Born in June 13, 1909 at Perinthalmanna, Malappurm District. Father:Parmeswaran Namboothiri. Mother: Vishnudatha Antharjanam. E.M.Sankaran Namboothirippad (EMS) was an internationally renowned Marxian philosopher, author, orator, administrator and great leader of communist and socialist movement. He was the first Chief Minister of Kerala State and the first Chief Minister of the Communist Government elected through democratic process. He is a great personality who created history and who walked along with the history. There are no other leaders in Kerala who influenced the modern Kerala than EMS. During his younger age, he associated with Yoga Kshema Sabha, an organisation found by radical Brahmin youths to eradicate malevolent rituals and practices of the community. Deeply influenced by the national movement, he joined Congress party and plunged into the independence struggle. In 1932 he was imprisoned along with other congress leaders. In 1934 he was elected as the All India Joint Secretary of Congress Socialist Party. In 1937 he along with P.Krishna Pillai, K.Damodaran and N.C.Sekhar found the Kerala Chapter of Communisty party secretly. In 1938, leftists and socialists captured the leadership of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

In 1940 the national leadership dismissed KPCC owing to it
allegiance to communist movement. Then EMS and his friends declared the formation of Communist Party of India (CPI) and he gave leadership to
severa agitations and reformative movements for the uplift of poor and oppressed class of people despite the resistance from every corner. When the party was banned during 1939 to 1942 and 1948 to 1952 he went underground and gave leadership to the party. While EMS was acting as the General Secretary of CPI, the State of Kerala was formed in 1956. When the first election to the state legislature was declared in 1957 February, CPI decided to contest in the elections. CPI won 65 out of 126 seats and formed the first Government of Kerala under the leadership of EMS. His Government took several radical measures especially in the field of land reforms and education sector.

This provoked the religious and communal forces, who were holding monopoly in land and educational institutions. They joined together and started struggle against the policies of the new Government known as Vimochana Samaram (liberation struggle). Succumbed the pressure of the communal forces, the Government of India dismissed EMS Government on July 31, 1959 by invoking Article 356 of the Constitution of India.

In March 1967 he again became the Chief Minister of Kerala. But he resigned on October 24 due to difference of opinion with coalition parties. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1957 to 1977 and from 1970 to 1977 he was the Leader of Opposition. EMS dedicated his life to the Communist Party. He contributed all his properties to the party. He became a member of the party’s Central Committee in 1841 and elected to the Polit Bureau of the party in 1950.

When Communist Party faced a split in 1964, he stood with Communist Party of India (Marxist). He was the General Secretary of the CPI (M) for the 13 years from 1978.

Politics was only the one side of his personality. The other side of his individuality was that of a philosopher and littérateur. He wrote 77 books in Malayalam and 20 in English in addition to numerous essays. His works can be classified under politics, history and literature. EMS passed away on March 18,
1998.