| P. V. Varghese Vaidyar | |
| Office1: | Member of Kerala Legislative Assembly (MLA) |
| Term Start1: | 1996 |
| Term End1: | 2001 |
| Predecessor1: | K. C. Rosakutty |
| Successor1: | N. D. Appachan |
| Constituency1: | Sulthan Bathery |
| Party: | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
| Spouse: | Saramma Varghese |
| Children: | 3 |
| Birth Date: | 1922 11, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Travancore, British India |
| Residence: | Meenangadi, Wayanad district, Kerala |
| Death Place: | Kalpetta, Wayanad district, Kerala |
Panackal Varkey Varghese Vaidyar was a Communist Party of India (Marxist) politician from Kerala, India. He represented Sulthan Bathery Assembly constituency in 10th Kerala Legislative Assembly.
Varghese Vaidyar was born on 9 November 1922 in Kunnakkalkara village in the Muvattupuzha Taluk to Annamma and P. V. Varkey of the Panackal house.[1] [2] Vaidyar's family migrated to Wayanad in 1952.[3]
Varghese Vaidyar and his wife Saramma Varghese of the Marottikal family in Muvattupuzha have three children.[3] He died due to cardiac arrest, at a private hospital in Kalpetta on September 16, 2012.[4] His body was buried with state honors at the St. Peter's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Cathedral at Meenangadi.[4]
Varghese Vaidyar, who was an active member of Indian independence movement, participated in the Quit India Movement in 1942.[3] He was a member of Indian National Congress party till 1949.[3] He has been active in the field of public works since the formation of the Wayanad Taluk Revenue Land Owners' Association.[2] Vaidyar later joined the Communist Party of India and the Kerala Karshaka Sangam (Peasants' Union) at the behest of A. K. Gopalan.[2] After the split of Communist Party of India in 1964, Vaidyar became member of Communist Party of India (Marxist).[2] He became prominent in the CPI (M) in the 1970s, leading a series of land struggles in the district, involving agricultural workers and small farmers.[4] In 1970, Vaidyar was imprisoned along with A. K. Gopalan for participating in the Mudavanmukh agitation for the distribution of surplus land.[2]
Vaidyar contested the 1982 and 1991 Kerala assembly elections but lost.[2] He was elected to the 10th Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1996.[4] He represented Sulthan Bathery Assembly constituency as a CPI (M) candidate.[3] He had also served as Meenangadi panchayat president for two terms (10 years).[4] Vaidyar also held several other positions including director of Wayanad District Co-operative Bank, member of the State Housing Board and the North Wayanad Land Board, district secretary and district president of Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union.[3] He was also the founding chairman of the Brahmagiri Development Society.[5]
His biography Varghese Vaidyante Athmakatha was published in 2015 by DC Books. The first 4 chapters were written by Varghese himself but could not be completed because of his death, rest has been completed by his son Cherian Kalpakavadi.[6] His life is depicted by Mohanlal in the Malayalam movie Lal Salaam(1990).