VS comes under attack over Lavalin stand

On the first day of the special politburo meeting called to resolve the faction feud in the CPMs Kerala unit...

On the first day of the special politburo meeting called to resolve the faction feud in the CPMs Kerala unit,Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan came under attack for his election-time public utterances on the SNC Lavalin scam case,in which his bete noire and state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan is an accused.

It is learnt that at least three politburo members,including senior- most member M K Pandhe,said the Chief Ministers statements in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls,directly and indirectly conveying his opposition to the party line that the Lavalin case was politically motivated,hurt the CPM.

On several occasions,Achuthanandan had maintained that he would continue his fight against corruption and refused to publicly endorse the party stand that the case was politically motivated. The criticism in the politburo on Saturday is seen as an indication that the Chief Minister may have to face action for not toeing the party line.

Story continues below this ad

Already,the CPM Central Committee had concluded that some of Achuthanandans statements in the poll run-up had an adverse effect and helped the Opposition after some members from Kerala,including ministers Thomas Issac and M A Baby,complained against the CM and sought his removal. The point was also raised by Vijayan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan,who is the state Home Minister,at Saturdays meeting. It is learnt that Vijayan did not demand the removal of Achuthanandan from Chief Ministership but sought action against him on account of indiscipline.

Some members in the politburo felt that the Lavalin case was being used by the political opponents to target the party and it was getting difficult to defend. Some in private admitted that there should a course correction and Vijayan should step down on his own till he is cleared of the charges. However,it is not known if they gave this view at the politburo meeting. The meeting will continue on Sunday and senior leaders said some tough decision can be expected.

Achuthanandan,on the other hand,trained his guns at Vijayan,saying he believed that the Lavalin case involved corruption and Vijayan should be removed from all party posts till he is cleared of all the charges. He is learnt to have argued that the party should not shed its stated position against corruption,but sources said the politburo is not likely to go back on its stand in the case.

The first day of the special politburo,which was attended by all members barring West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya,heard the views of all the members on the Lavalin case. Source said the organisational problems in the state unit,an euphemism for the continuing infighting,would come up for discussion on Sunday.

Story continues below this ad

With Achuthanandan sticking to his position that he would not settle for anything less than the removal of Vijayan and his opposition camp gunning for his blood,the politburo is caught in a bind. Central leaders,however,expressed the confidence that the divided Kerala house would be put in order by the politburo.

The CPM central committee,which met here last month,had asked the politburo to find ways to end the wrangling. It had concluded that the disunity in the Kerala CPM,stemmed from the faction fight between the Achuthanandan and Pinarayi camps,had an adverse impact on the partys prospects in the elections.