Thiruvananthapuram: A day after he stepped down as opposition leader, Marxist veteran VS Achuthanandan on Sunday said he would continue his fight against corruption and communalism "until my last breath."
"I am not stopping my struggles I have undertaken so far. I will continue my fights against corruption, communalism and to protect the nature, soil and pride of Kerala until my last breath," the 92-year-old veteran said in a Facebook post.
Achuthanandan, who was described as 'warhorse' and 'Kerala's Fidel Castro' by CPI(M) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, had spearheaded the LDF's election campaign and helped it secure a massive victory over Congress-led UDF in the May 16 assembly polls.
He said political rivals had tried to target him and 'trap' him in cases when he attempted to expose Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"But people, who always stood with me in my fights, have given me all support. They have ushered in LDF by giving them a historic mandate of 91 seats," he said.
Referring to the fierce state-wide campaign he undertook, the former chief minister said he had to fulfill a "historic responsibility" at the May 16 polls and that was why he had decided to contest accepting the direction of the party central leadership.
"The victory of LDF in Kerala was essential to retain the strength of the communist parties, who carry out relentless fight against communal forces at the national level," he said.
While announcing that he was stepping down as Opposition leader, Achuthanandan had said in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday that he would continue to play the role of a "sentinel" of the people of Kerala.
He was elected from Malampuzha constituency in Palakkad by a margin of 27,142 votes.
