CPM central committee warns VS Achuthanandan, offers no secretariat berth
Thiruvananthapuram: CPM central committee on Sunday spared veteran leader V S Achuthanandan of strict disciplinary action and issued a public warning to him to abide by party norms and organisational discipline.
The warning was issued after the central committee accepted the report submitted by six-member Politburo Commission which had looked into the internal issues in Kerala unit of the party and the allegations on Achuthanandan’s anti party and anti-organisational activities.
The central committee, however, declined to accept Achuthandan’s demand for induction into the state secretariat following stiff opposition from the state leadership. Earlier in the day Achuthanandan met CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and sought to know about the committee in which he should function. At the moment the veteran leader is special invitee to the central committee.
The central committee decided to include him as special invitee in state committee. Achuthanandan will be able to raise issues in this forum but would not have voting rights.
“He asked us what is my party forum? We told it is the state committee. The state committee is the place where you should say and not outside. It was discussed with him and then announced,” Yechury told a press conference after the CC meeting.
On VS not being granted voting right, Yechury quipped, “don’t worry, CPM state committee in Kerala will not come to such a pass that would require just one vote.”
“We have relaxed the age bar for veterans who are founders of the party. What has been VS’s ideological and political contribution. In each criteria VS contribution is high. These comrades have devoted their entire life to build the party. Now Achuthanandan has been made an invitee to the state committee. If he has anything to say, he has to say in state committee and not outside,” he said.
To a question regarding action against E P Jayarajan and P K Sreemathy, the CPM general secretary said: “The matter was taken up in the central committee and it was told clearly that trends like nepotism or favouritism are alien to the communist party.”
He said the since the FIR having been filed and a court case being imminent now, in that background whatever we do will prejudice the judicial process. “We have asked the state committee to inquire into the matter and give us a report for consideration at the next central committee,” he said.
On M M Mani issue, the CPM general secretary said that there was a court case. Action taken by the party at this stage can be prejudicial to the outcome of the case.
He said criminal charges against political workers may be for genuine reasons or mostly for not-so- genuine reasons. “I had a case of dacoity against me,” he said in a lighter vein.
Meanwhile, reacting to the CC decision V.S. Achuthanandan said that it was only a routine procedure. The veteran said he was satisfied by the party decision.
