Alappuzha: Senior CPM leader T.K. Palani on Thursday said he would join CPI soon, as he felt the party was discriminating against him and it had lost its core values of internal democracy. "The wants loyalty. Those who don’t have loyalty have to face discrimination," he told reporters here. "The leadership did not ask me even to renew my membership. I had informed them earlier itself that I was going to join CPI. I wish to remain under the red flag. Hence I chose CPI."
Meanwhile, Saji Cheriyan, district secretary, said Mr Palani was indulging in anti-party activities and decided to leave much earlier. "If he did join CPI, they will pay the price. There is no situation in the party to appease him," he said. Earlier in 2014, Mr Palani had come up with serious allegations against veteran leader V.S. Achuthanandan over the arson on P. Krishna Pillai memorial in Muhamma.
The leadership later corrected him. In 1996 when Mr Achuthanandan got defeated in Mararikulam, he faced disciplinary action for it as he was the district secretariat member in-charge of campaigning along with the late C.K. Bhaskaran, then Kanjikuzhy area secretary.
