Campaign to save Pinarayi against party law, says VS

30 Jan 2009, ET Bureau


NEW DELHI: Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan, who is determined not to back off from his fight against SNC Lavalin scandal-tainted Pinarayi Vijayan, maintains that the CPM’s support for the Kerala unit secretary Pinarayi Vijayan is in violation of the party constitution.

VS loyalists say that the party constitution has clearly stated that the organisation should act firmly against deviant members. Article XIX of the party constitution says that members guilty of corruption should be summarily suspended.

“Party members found to be strike-breakers, drunkards, moral degenerates, betrayers of party confidence, guilty of grave financial corruption can be summarily suspended from the party membership and removed from all responsible positions by the party unit to which they belongs or by a higher party body pending the issue of the chargesheet to them and getting their explanation. This summary suspension and removal from all responsible positions in the party cannot be extended for a period of more than three months,” the party constitution says.

But the party, which treats the case against Pinarayi Vijayan as “politically motivated”, has directed the state unit to brazen it out. Mr Achuthanandan’s cabinet colleagues, who are attending district-level conferences in the past one week, have been faithfully purveying this line.

Given this context, the chief minister is also narrowing his options. His ministers’ enthusiastic backing for the party secretary is clear no-confidence in the position taken by the chief minister. In any case, the entire cabinet consists of people who owe their loyalty to Pinarayi Vijayan. In the event of the chief minister going against the dominant line, he will find it difficult to lead the present ministerial team. And if he backs off, he will suffer a major loss of face.

The CPM’s central unit, which has decided not to mollycoddle the chief minister, has already ruled out convening of an emergency polit bureau meeting to discuss the Kerala crisis. Sources in the party said the panel will meet only in the second week of February.