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This story is from May 16, 2006
Bumpy road ahead for Achuthanandan
Hardline Marxist leader V S Achuthanandan will have to face a strong undercurrent of internal resistance from a rival CPM camp.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hardline Marxist leader V S Achuthanandan may have had a unanimous tag attached to his selection by the party as chief minister of Kerala on Monday, but first indications are that he will have to face a strong undercurrent of internal resistance from a rival CPM camp.
The CPM state secretariat, meeting under guidance of central leader Prakash Karat, ensured that there was no open defiance to his taking office as chief minister, but the Malabar lobby led by local party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan didn't appear to be in a mood to compromise and give up key cabinet berths.
Vijayan's group was said to be adamant about the home portfolio as also industry and local-self government. A final decision has to be made before the swearing-in scheduled for May 18.
On previous occasions when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) came to power, no such mutinous currents were there because the CM's office as well as key posts mostly went to party leaders from Malabar and the Travancoreans (from south Kerala) accepted that.
The Malabar group also wanted K T Jaleel, a Muslim League renegade who felled League strongman P K Kunahalikutty in Kuttipuram, to be inducted into the cabinet. This, sources argued, will give a strong conciliatory signal to Muslim voters of Malabar, who had overwhelmingly backed Left candidates instead of voting for the League.
Initially, CPM had favoured a 14-member "simple and transparent" ministry as was the norm in Kerala. But a complicated balancing act to appease rival factions could lead to the cabinet being larger, sources said.
That the bickering was on top of the party agenda was apparent when neither Karat nor any of the local leaders, talked to the media after their meeting on Monday. Party leaders are scheduled to continue their meeting on Tuesday to try and resolve the differences.
The CPM state secretariat, meeting under guidance of central leader Prakash Karat, ensured that there was no open defiance to his taking office as chief minister, but the Malabar lobby led by local party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan didn't appear to be in a mood to compromise and give up key cabinet berths.
Vijayan's group was said to be adamant about the home portfolio as also industry and local-self government. A final decision has to be made before the swearing-in scheduled for May 18.
On previous occasions when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) came to power, no such mutinous currents were there because the CM's office as well as key posts mostly went to party leaders from Malabar and the Travancoreans (from south Kerala) accepted that.
Achuthanandan is a Dalit from south India and sources said the state CPM wants important posts go to the North, to "keep the regional balance".
The Malabar group also wanted K T Jaleel, a Muslim League renegade who felled League strongman P K Kunahalikutty in Kuttipuram, to be inducted into the cabinet. This, sources argued, will give a strong conciliatory signal to Muslim voters of Malabar, who had overwhelmingly backed Left candidates instead of voting for the League.
Initially, CPM had favoured a 14-member "simple and transparent" ministry as was the norm in Kerala. But a complicated balancing act to appease rival factions could lead to the cabinet being larger, sources said.
That the bickering was on top of the party agenda was apparent when neither Karat nor any of the local leaders, talked to the media after their meeting on Monday. Party leaders are scheduled to continue their meeting on Tuesday to try and resolve the differences.
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