VS tried to split party,claims former aide

Already weighed down by the anti-party charges mounted on him by the rival faction,CPI(M) Politburo member and Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan was on Friday left to fend allegations that he worked to split the party,this time from a one-time loyalist.

CPI(M) legislator C M Dinesh Mani had disclosed in the state committee meeting,which concluded on Thursday,that Achuthanandan had conspired to split the party in March 2006,after he was initially denied a ticket to contest the Assembly elections. Mani had moved to the faction led by state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan after the Assembly elections.

He confessed that he had also participated in the conspiracy held in the house of former party RS member K Chandran Pillai. Others present were Achuthanandan loyalists S Sharma,now a minister,and party Ernakulam district committee secretary Gopi Kottamurickal. According to him,Achuthanandan had said during the secret meeting that if he was denied the ticket,they should go for a new party and a newspaper. The split in the party did not happen as Achuthanandan was later allowed to contest in the elections held in May 2006.