VS Achuthanandan nips Vellapally Natesan's bid to romance CPM in bud

Thiruvananthapuram: With veteran leader V S Achuthanandan firm on fighting Vellapally  Natesan on micro finance corruption case, the attempts being made by the SNDP leader to cosy up to CPM leadership may not succeed. The veteran leader wants to take the micro finance case which involves the alleged cheating of poor women belonging to the community, to its logical conclusion. Those close to him say that the LDF government had secured huge mandate because of its anti corruption stand.

He believes that there could be no compromise on corruption issue as it would amount to dishonouring people's mandate. It was because of his uncompromising stand on micro finance corruption issue, that the BDJS had taken extra effort to reduce Achuthanandan’s majority in Malampuzha. While Vellapally’s recent visit to Cliff House and heaping praises on chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan may have forced the BJP leadership to install his son Thushar Vellapally as NDA state convenor, but such tactics are unlikely to cut much ice with the CPM. A section of the party members believe that efforts should continue to neutralise BDJS influence especially in Left stronghold.

A couple of months ahead of Assembly elections, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had hit out hard against the then chief minister Oommen Chandy going soft on cases against Vellapally. “Even after registering a case against Vellapally for making a communally provocative speech, the government has not taken any action against him. There’s no action against him on the micro finance corruption complaints,” he had then thundered.

Many CPM leaders believe that the CPM cannot go back on its firm stand against Vellapally's corruption. Any attempt to “water down” or “go slow” on the case would only prove counterproductive. They say the BJP-BDJS-RSS has to be fought ideologically and politically. Any attempt to resort to shortcuts or  “soft” tactics, would not succeed against such forces. While the attack on the alleged corruption and “communal” politics of BJP-RSS should be sharpened further, efforts should continue on creating awareness among the community members about the RSS attempts to appropriate Sree Narayana Guru and inject communal poison in the secular community.