Prakash Karat and Pinarayi Vijayan watch closely as CM V S Achuthanandan enters the stage at the conclusion of Nava Kerala
March on Wednesday.Express News Service First Published : 26 Feb 2009 01:32:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 26 Feb 2009 12:58:07
PM ISTTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an anti-climax that would beat any political movie, the CPM’s 24- day roadshow concluded
at Shanghumughom on Wednesday evening leaving it loud and clear that inner-party issues will continue to simmer in the party in the
coming days.
On a stage, where CPM heavyweights waited with bated breath watching the final act unfurl, both VS and Pinarayi stuck to their
stated positions even as a helpless and hapless Prakash Karat sat as a mute witness. Ironically, none of them cared to acknowledge
the motto of the Nava Kerala Yatra `Safe India, prosperous Kerala’, as the general relief `all is well that ends well’ swept over the
thousands of comrades who had assembled to endorse the political might of the party.
From the ship-shaped dais to huge garlands and flower crown that Pinarayi donned, the event was very filmy complete with dialogues
with multi-layer meaning that stirred the crowd.
While leaving VS and Pinarayi in a win-win situation, the finale gave enough ammunition to the CPM to silence the critics who were
all buckled up to use the rift between the top brass as a poll plank. The CPM, especially Pinarayi, could accomplish a big victory by
dragging V S Achuthanandan to Shanghumughom and forcing him to endorse albeit partially the party line that SNC-Lavalin case will
be dealt with politically.
But, in the very next sentence, Achuthanandan reminded his followers and the party leadership that an indicted person need to prove
his innocence in the court.
“We will deal with the case against party secretary politically and legally. (He) can go to the court when it is convenient and prove his
innocence. (We) need not wage a war against judges,” said VS.
Recalling his fight against UDF leaders in the Idamalayar, Brahmapuram and Palmolein cases, VS said that the UDF had no ground
to ridicule the CPM in the name of corruption.
Earlier in his speech, Nava Kerala March captain and CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said a party worker would gain strength
only when he was with the party. "If a bucket of water is taken from the sea, there won’t be waves in that. Waves are only created
when the water is in the sea,” he reminded VS, who was sitting in a chair away but was not ready to share a word with him during the
entire two-and-ahalf hours when both the leaders sat together.
A late entry by Achuthanandan which created excitement among the 25,000-strong crowd at Shanghumughom was the highlight of the
concluding rally. VS, who could maintain suspense about his participation in the rally till the last moment, decided to go by the party
diktat after being cajoled by a couple of politburo members and leaders of other left parties.
“Our party will never compromise with corruption. However high may be the positions, the party won’t tolerate if they are involved in
corruption. The Kerala party has many such examples,” said CPM general secretary Prakash Karat after inaugurating the public
rally of Nava Kerala Yatra.
Referring to the SNC-Lavalin case, Karat reiterated the PB stand that the case had been politically motivated. He asked the Union
Government to let the CBI function in a professional manner.
“There are very good officers in the CBI. Let them do their duty. Don’t use the CBI for political gains,” Karat said. PB members S
Ramachandran Pillai and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan also spoke.
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