VS volte-face, attends Pinarayi rally or.... Was it?

Chief minister V S Achuthanandan surprised everyone by attending the closing ceremony of the `Nava Kerala Yatra' led by his rival and party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

But if anyone thought the issue was resolved, there was a dampener.  Both VS and Pinnarai Vijayan took potshots at eachother in their speeches .

VS said in his speech:

"The general secretary said how we will fight allegations against the state secretary in the case - politically and legally. It will be fought legally and when he gets an opportunity to prove his innocence in court, it will be done,'' 

VS also added that the way out was not by fighting the judiciary. If that was not enough, he also referred to corruption charges faced by leaders of the Congress-led UDF like K Karunakaran and Balakrishna Pillai.

Pinarayi, who spoke before the CM also fired innuendos at him. Referring to the story of a boy who wondered why there were no waves in a bucket of water drawn from the sea, Pinarayi said everyone in CPM realises that they had no existence without the party.

Source

Communism will be finished in India within five or 10 years

On the background of SNC-Lavalin saga, Experts and ex communists believe that communism in India will be finished in India in next 5-10 years. There have been allegations of corruption and misappropriation of money dozens of times earlier and But this is the first time that the once highly disciplined CPI-M has washed its dirty laundry with such gusto in public.

Eminent historian M G S Narayanan, who was once known for his Marxist moorings and past headed the prestigious Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), says:

Communism will be finished in this country within five or 10 years. Don't assess the current development as an isolated one. The CPI-M has faced an ideological crisis for several years. It passed through different stages and now it is in its final stage. People have rejected communism in almost all countries. Even in China, communism exists only in name. Such a situation will come in India also.

Chekkutty, the founder editor of the CPI-M-owned Kairali TV, says

The bureaucratic establishment that the Communist Party has become will not survive for long. The party seems to have become a massive tree without any deep roots. It is likely to wither away. At the same time, the working class need a strong political party. There is likely to be a new political formation to replace the present communist establishment.

Even ordinary workers of CPM are fedup with the way CPM operates in Kerala. Sajoy George, a district leader of the CPI-M- linked Kerala School Teachers Association says

I am very much worried over the developments. It will defeat the spirit of communism. The party should be above persons. The two leaders failed to understand the sentiments of the masses. This episode has done big damage to the party. They must end this fight.

To make matters worse, The Communist Party of India-Marxist of today has apparently decided to adopt the supreme sycophant late Dev Kant Baruah, then president of the Congress, displayed by solemnly declaiming in the Emergency era that 'India is Indira and Indira is India

CPI-M Central Committee member E P Jayarajan recently pronounced

'Pinarayi Vijayan means the Communist movement.'The present move (by a section in the party) is to finish the Communist movement (in the state). And for that they have targeted Vijayan and are trying to finish him off.'

If you want to see how far the cult of personality has entered the halls of the CPI-M look no farther than the party's Web site. Nestling along such weighty matters as the party positions on the Union Budget, World Trade Organisation negotiations, and the Iran nuclear issue, there is a new section called 'Lavlin Case -- Facts'. (Couldn't the CPI-M at least spell 'Lavalin' correctly?) Why should the CPI-M even have an official position on an allegation against an individual member?

Source

Source

Clap! Comrade Karat on stage

When Prakash Karat takes the stage, clap — this was what the CPM told its cadre in Kochi.

With election prospects not too good in Kerala and Bengal, the party clearly didn’t want to take a chance at the rally that the party general secretary and chief ministers of both states addressed yesterday.

The instruction to applaud Karat wasn’t the only one handed to CPM workers by the state party unit. There was another — don’t drink.

Disciplined is what party workers weren’t in Kottayam last year, when drunken scenes marked the state conference. At the end of that meet, as Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan took the stage, the cadre went berserk with applause. Some of the exuberance came out of the bottle.

The Kottayam meet ended with Bottles being thrown at Comrade Achu Mama. Not sure if any found their target.

Source

Shornur bypoll :CPM loses power

For the first time in history, the CPM lost power in Shornur municipality.

In the byelections to nine wards in the Municipality, the Democratic Development Samithi (DDS) led by former Municipality vice-chairman M R Murali won eight wards and CPM bagged only one seat.

Murali, a former youth leader of the CPI(M) from VS Achutanandan Faction, earned the wrath of the Pinarayi Vijayan faction when he aggressively campaigned for two infrastructure projects in the town. Murali wanted the municipality to blacklist a contractor who failed to complete a project. Murali had told The Indian Express.

“The contractor who got the project was a benami for a leader of the rival (Vijayan) faction. All efforts to initiate action against the contractor fell flat as the party leadership stood by the contractor,”

The CPI(M) sacked Murali in early July. His exit was followed by an exodus from the CPI(M) rank and file in the area. Murali, along with eight CPI(M) councillors who quit to join him, formed the PDC.

CPI(M) rebel groups are now planning a state-level political forum.

Current strength of 30-member municipality:  CPM - 14 seats, Congress-7, DDS-8 and BJP –1.

CPM has reacted by announcing a Bandh to protest against victory of Rebels!!!

Source

Civil war in Kerala CPM

From a chief minister who came to power riding on a huge popular mandate of the people, VS Achuthanandan today cuts a sorry figure in Kerala. While his own secretaries have questioned his functioning, the opposite camp in the CPM is gearing up to bring him down.

After the Kerala state unit leadership and the bureaucracy, it was the turn of the chief minister’s  personal staff, both CPM state  committee members, to petition against V S Achuthanandan’s administrative inadequacies.

At a meeting of the CPM state committee at Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, private secretary to the chief minister S Rajendran and VS’ political secretary K N Balagopal, came out against the functioning of the chief minister. They alleged that the actions of the chief minister are being dictated by a coterie. Some participants at the meeting went to the extent of seeking his removal from the post.

Source

Pinarayi 'chargesheet' against VS

Keralites is proud of their many "firsts". they were first to elect a communist government (a mistake they are regretting till date), first to get 100% literacy. Now there is another first which keralites can boast.

First time in the history of democratic India and autocratic CPM, a party state secretary has brought out charge sheet against their own Chief Minister.

Some of the trumped up charges are -

- V S Achuthanandan took a "unilateral stand", departing from the unanimous view of the state committee.

- The Chief Minister's mentioned the name of Vijayan on certain controversial issues, including the S N C Lavlin scam.

-The Chief Minister rebuked the state Director General of Police on the anti-piracy operation "over the head of" Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the Home Minister.

- The party had decided to go ahead with the ADB loan. However, V S told the media that the decision was taken without informing him.

- When he was the Opposition leader, V S had pointed an accusing finger at an unnamed VIP who tried to hush up the Kiliroor sex scandal. When the LDF came to power, the UDF alleged that the VIP was P K Sreemathi, CPM leader and state Health Minister. V S did not make a statement to clear her name.

- When the donations from millionaire Faris Aboobacker to a party-run football tournament became controversial, VS had said that Aboobacker deserved contempt and the incident of receiving funds from such a person would be probed. The report said it was wrong of V S to level allegations against Faris without proof and there was nothing wrong in accepting donations from

- There is also a mention of the eruption of demonstrations by V S loyalists in protest against the state leadership's decision not to field him in the Assembly elections.

It seems the days of VS are now numbered. It would be a sad day for communist movement in kerala. VS is last of their tallest leaders.

CPM Kottayam State Conference

Technorati Tags: CPM,Kottayam State Conference,Factionalism,infighting

News from CPM Kerala State Conference

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

Technorati Tags: CPm,Infighting,Factionalism,VS Achuthanandan,Kerala