Bitter wrangle in CPM’s Kerala unit ahead of Assembly polls
Row over CPM state secretariat decision to keep Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan out of polls.
March 17, 2006
The CPM is facing its worst crisis in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where elections are slated to be held in a month.
The latest crisis revolves around veteran leader and politburo member V S Achuthanandan, considered a hardliner, who has been reportedly kept out of the candidates list.
This would mean that VS, the present Opposition leader, would not be the party’s chief ministerial candidate. In the last elections, the party had projected VS as its CM candidate, but the party failed to get a majority.
The two-day CPM state committee and state secretariat meet held in state capital Thiruvananthapuram failed to resolve the issue. CPM general secretary Prakash Karat left for Delhi, apparently for briefing the central leadership about what he reportedly termed as the “explosive situation” in the Kerala unit of the party.
While the official faction led by CPM state secretary Pinarayi is hell bent on keeping VS out of the electoral fray, majority of party cadres are reportedly in favour of the veteran leader.
There has been widespread protests against the reported move to keep VS out of the fray. In the state committee meeting held on Thursday afternoon, 27 of the 52 members opposed the state secretariat decision to leave out VS.
As the official faction insisted on keeping out the veteran of many a political battle in Kerala out of the fray, the meeting was adjourned without announcing any decision, following which Karat left for Delhi.
Senior central leaders of CPM are reportedly trying to pacify VS, who is reportedly now not keen to contest after the bitter wrangle over his candidature.
Pinrayi himself has opted out of fray, considering that the state secretary rarely contests the poll.
It may be recalled that Karat himself had announced that VS would lead the party in Kerala polls. But after VS made it clear that he wouldn’t be on the forefront if he is not the CPM’s official CM candidate, Karat is in a fix to save his face.
The bitter wrangling in the CPM has already rejuvenated the ruling United Democratic Front, which had least hopes of coming back a month back after a series of electoral drubbings.
The UDF is now in talks to wean back the Democratic Indira Congress (K), the party founded by former Congress leader K Karunakaran, which had sided with the LDF in the Thiruvananthapuram Parliamentary by-poll, which the LDF emerged victorious.
VS Achuthanandan was in the forefront of the CPM faction that did not want any ties with DIC (K), while the official faction led by Pinarayi wanted DIC (K) to be accommodated in LDF.
The party central leadership toed VS’ line on that issue, but this time, it seems the official faction is hell bent on ousting its commander in the previous polls from the last electoral battle he had looked for in his political career.
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