Crisis in Kerala CPM over leadership issue

P K SURENDRAN / TNN / Mar 18, 2006, 01:10 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Supporters of V S Achuthanandan are on a war path after the party politburo struck off his name as the CM post-election.

Crisis in Kerala CPM over leadership issue

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is a serious crisis in Kerala CPM ahead of the state assembly elections. Supporters of the leader of opposition V S Achuthanandan are on a war path after the party politburo struck off his name as the chief minister post-election.
Pro-Achuthanandan rallies are being taken out across the state. Though the leader of opposition is keeping mum, one of his confidants told TOI, "One need not be an MLA to head a government."
Sources close to Achuthanandan said the war of leadership was not over but postponed till elections are over.He would therefore remain prudently silent, they added.
Amidst simmering discontent within the ranks of the party, arch rival of Achutanandan and party secretary Pinarai Vijayan on Friday said there was absolutely no "crisis" in the party.

Vijayan's blistering attack on "certain bourgeoisie press," followed the ongoing debate on who will become the CM if CPM-led Left Democratic Front comes to power after the April-May polls.
The fight is mainly between Achuthanandan and Vijayan groups. Initially the politburo had approved Achuthanandan's name for the CM's post but it was strongly opposed by Vijayan and his supporters. Under pressure, the politburo then decided not to field either Vijayan or Achuthanandan.

The politburo in fact asked the state committee to decide on a person who could be the chief minister post-election. Sources said the committee has more or less agreed on Paloli Mohammad Kutty, a Vijayan supporter, though his name has not been officially announced.
The tussle between Achuthanandan and Vijayan can be traced back to the early sixties. Like late E M S Namboodiripad, A K Gopalan, M V Raghavan and other party stalwarts, Achuthanandan and Vijayan come from the erstwhile Malabar (north Kerala).
The southern part known as royal Travancore has only second rung leaders. However, the cadre had always managed to bury the differences in the name of ideology and party unity.
It is after Namboodiripad's death seven years ago that the party's reign came to Vijayan's hands. Achuthanandan, who emerged as a leader to be reckoned with after the death of Namboodiripad, as the leader of opposition in the last five years tried to plough a pro-poor track raising many issues of mass appeal.
He is also against many pro-liberalisation policies of the present CPM leadership. But he had never publicly criticised the party.
When the state secretariat on Thursday announced both Achuthanandan and Vijayan are not to be fielded, protest rallies by Achuthanandan supporters were taken out. On protest rallies, Vijayan said, "They are organised by the
bourgeoisie outfits, not by CPM." The party is now trying to bring both Vijayan and Achuthanandan to the
campaign scene.

End of Article