Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, one of the popular faces of the communist movement in Kerala, passed away at Apollo Hospital on Saturday evening. Kodiyeri is leaving behind a record of significant contributions as a seasoned political leader, a dedicated organizer, a skillful parliamentarian, and an administrator who took the lead in reforms. By leading strikes along with the ranks of the party and remaining uncompromising in loyalty to the party, and by demonstrating robust stances in governance , Kodiyeri carved his own niche in the minds of the communists in Kerala. Starting as Unit Secretary of Kodiyeri Onion School of the Kerala Students Federation, he moved up the party ladder through the positions of CPM Kannur District Secretary, State Secretary and Polit Bureau Member until he finally succumbed to the disease. Since then until today, Kodiyeri has been one of the leading figures in Kerala politics. He continued his association within the party with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also hailed from the same place till his death, and remained steadfast in his position even when sectarianism was ruling the roost in Kerala's CPM unit. For the party ranks, he was a virulent leader and mobiliser. During political crises, he turned a pragmatic guide. From a politician who fought with the police during the protests, he later became a home minister governing the police and earned the name of a mature administrator. Even after the challenges he faced in his personal life and political advancement, he made a strong comeback much to the surprise of the ranks.
After taking party membership at the age of 19, he became SFI's State Secretary at the age of 20. During his time as a college student, he became a branch secretary and local secretary and was made the district secretary at the age of 36. Kodiyeri, who rose from the bottom of social life, had a gentle face of populist politics rather than the harshness typical of communist politics. A distinction of Kodiyeri was is ability to maintain personal relationships even when he took strict stances in party sectarianism and while hurling allegations against his opponents – a feature that perhaps made him stand out from his party contemporaries in Kerala. Even while adhering to communist tenets, he succeeded in establishing close ties with people from various walks of life. He had an unshakable conviction that everything he did was for the party which stood above everything else form him, even when he was lashing out at his opponents in the assembly and outside and repeating his accusations heedless of the possible responses from opponents. The party reciprocated that confidence to him till the end. Even when he faced charges from the opposition, the party never ditched him.
As the Home Minister, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan tried to reform the police force and give it a popular face. Chief among them were the student police cadet and Janamaitri Police. He took steps to boost the confidence of policemen by fixing eight hours as duty time for them and implementing promotions that had been stalled for years. He brought in significant reforms in prisons with necessary improvements in jail food, which was derided as 'wheat balls', and gave prisons a different face by opening prison food counters to the public using inmates for cooking. As a minister also in charge of tourism, he initiated reforms like responsible tourism, heritage tourism, home stay etc. When Kodiyeri Balakrishnan leaves his mark behind after a versatile and eventful span in politics and administration, one of the popular political faces of Kerala is departing. We join his family, relatives and party workers in their sorrow at this hour of grief.