A long march

other leaders,including party central committee members A Vijayaraghavan,E P Jayarajan,state committee member T N Seema and party-backed Independent MLA K T Jaleel. Some are there to get the other side of the story,others simply because their local leaders asked them to.

The Indian Express trailed Vijayan and his team through what was probably the most crucial leg of his trek,through Alappuzha district,the home turf of Achuthanandan. Vijayan spent a day there,his 19th on the tour. Reception for the yatra was arranged at five centres,with each spot representing an Assembly constituency:

Mankombu

A ricebowl in Alappuzha,Mankombu is painted red for the yatra. Vijayan is scheduled to address the reception at 10 am,but the venue is packed with party workers,a chunk of them middle-aged women,two hours before that. T N Seema first engages the audience,and then it is the turn of central committee member M Govindan. Without touching the slogan of the yatra,‘Secure India and Prosperous Kerala’,Govindan speaks on the Lavalin case. He attacks the CBI,and of course the media. He hammers in the point that the CPI(M) is the party of the basic class.

The farm workers patiently sit and listen to Govindan. And then a round of crackers is set off near the venue,announcing the arrival of Vijayan.

Vijayan steps out of a specially designed Toyota Innova,and is ushered into the shamiana by party leaders and volunteers. Govindan abruptly stops his speech as Vijayan and his confidant E P Jayarajan enter. A local leader asks the slogan-shouting workers to pipe down.

A leader reads out the list of people selected to garland Vijayan. One after the other,nearly 100 local leaders greet him — his face showing no emotion as he accepts the shawls and garlands.

It is time for Vijayan to address the gathering. He talks about the yatra and its slogan. The audience sit there,as if attending a tepid seminar.

Vijayan doesn’t refer to the Lavalin case,but says there have been attempts to wreck the CPI(M) right from its inception. “Our activists should take the attack on the party as targeted towards their own chest,” he tells the audience of farm workers. There is no mention of the crisis in the paddy sector or other local issues. “I do not know anything about these issues. I am here on the direction of my local leader. I will leave only at his instruction,” an old lady at the venue says.

Punnapra

The next stop is Punnapra,just 2 km from the house of Achuthanandan. The stretch leading to Punnapra along NH-47 is decorated with red festoons and pictures of Vijayan. There are also a few boards pledging “support to Achuthanandan in his fight against corruption”,possibly the first sign of pronounced hostility. At the venue,Muslim League rebel and CPI(M)-backed Independent MLA K T Jaleel speaks out on pet issues like US imperialism and the Israeli attack on Gaza. Next is party central committee member A Vijayaraghavan,who by this time is used to parroting how the Congress misused the CBI. As he continues,Vijayan’s arrival is announced. What follows is a repeat of Mankombu. Here,Vijayan also slams the communal policies of the BJP and Congress. Vijayan’s talk ends on the same note. In the land of his archrival,Vijayan does not highlight the achievements of the Left Government.

Haripad

Around 3 pm,at Haripad,the next reception venue,it’s the turn of E P Jayarajan to attack the CBI. “What Congress leader G Karthikeyan said about Lavalin was correct. I have no doubts that the case is politically motivated to trap Vijayan,” says K Sahadevan,a fisherman. When Vijayan reaches Haripad,a perfect repeat of the earlier receptions is staged.

Chenganoor

After a repeat at Kayamkulam,it’s time for Chenganoor. A crowd waits for Vijayan from 5 pm onwards. Considering the presence of Christian community in the region,Jayarajan talks about the attack on missionaries in Orissa and how the Congress ditched the community. Vijayan reaches the venue at 8.30 pm. Firework follows,the gathering loves it. But very few are interested to hear Vijayan. Only patches of the crowd are left when the programme gets over.