Fielding VS, Pinarayi yet to be decided.
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has supported general secretary Sitaram Yechury’s position that there would be no age bar for party leaders contesting polls.
In a TV programme, the CPM leader said that the party general secretary had made his stand clear on the issue. “I am not above him. As one of the state secretaries working under him, I endorse his opinion,” Kodiyeri added.
Yechury had recently remarked that age was not a bar in contesting elections. He was responding to questions on whether Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan would be kept out of electoral fray because of age factor.
Speaking to reporters after the politburo meeting in Kolkata on Saturday ahead the three day party plenum, the CPM general secretary reiterated his stand. "Young faces are important to attract the youth. Age is important but experience is qually important. A combination of youth and experience is significant,” he pointed out.
However, on the question of fielding Achuthanandan and CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan in the forthcoming Assembly polls in 2016, Kodiyeri said the matter had not been discussed yet.
On his decision to keep off from Kerala Raksha March which is being led by Pinarayi Vijayan, Kodiyeri said it was a conscious decision of the party. “Leading the march means you are tied up with it for a month. The state secretary will not be able to discharge his party responsibilities for such a long period. We want to organise the party ahead of the assembly polls,’’ he said.
When pointed out that as state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had led a couple of state marches, Kodiyeri said the present decision was in light of past experience.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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