The Meeting Ends in "High Spirits": First time in the history of CPM, A public meeting after State Conference was cut short due to "High Spirit" of audience. Among those on the dais was the CPM’s
supreme leader Prakash Karat. The public meeting at the end of the CPM state conference in Kerala was called off midway after drunken sloganeering by a section of the audience. The "High Spirit" of audience first started when V.S. Achuthanandan had got up for his speech. Every exhortation by the chief minister was punctuated by slogan-shouting that drowned his words. Then the crown began to show their appreciation towards the leader by hurling empty liquor bottle towards the dais. Karat, presumably attributing it to the enthusiasm of the ranks, kept smiling, too. But Pinarayi Vijayan, the state CPM secretary was miffed, he chided the Red Volunteers, who enforce discipline at party events, for remaining spectators. “You have a duty to check elements that disrupt orderly conduct.” The volunteers responded to Leaders call by beating up some of the “hooligans”. The state secretary dispersed the meeting soon after, saying other leaders would not speak. By then rain had resumed, possibly giving the party a chance to blame a liquid less potent than liquor for the abrupt end.
Technology in Use: His attempts to discipline warring comrades having failed, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat for the first time got mobile jammers installed at the venue of the party's 19th state conference to prevent rival factions from leaking the deliberations.
VS RIP: Kerala's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) is in deep trouble with a majority of its leaders demanding Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan's ouster. Among 38 of the 53 delegates who spoke on the party report presented by state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, a majority warned that the CPM would face disaster if it goes for parliamentary elections under the chief minister unless he changed his style of functioning. Mr Vijayan’s supporters were elected from 11 of the 14 district conferences
