CPI (M) state secretariat on Tuesday asked party veteran and Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan to correct his stand on the police action against party workers who had allegedly torched the memorial of P Krishna Pillai, one of the founder of communist movement in Kerala. Achuthanandan had not accepted the police finding that party workers, including his former personal staff member, were behind the torching of Pillai memorial in Alappuzha.The veteran has become the target of rivals in the party as the CPI (M) district conference in his home district Alappuzha is slated to begin on Thursday. Pillai’s memorial in Alappuzha was torched on October 31, 2013. Recently, a police probe had found that factional rivalry among party workers was behind the crime. Of the five accused, the first accused Latheesh B Chandran, had been a member of the personal staff of Achuthanandan. Chandran was sacked from the party after he was made an accused in the case. Last week, Chandran surrendered before the police, while others got reprieve from the high court over their arrest. While CPI (M) official faction led by party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan went by the police theory, Achuthanandan resorted to believe Congress conspiracy behind it. Achuthanandan, the other day, had stated that the party should have rejected the police report with contempt. He said no communist would dare to destroy the memorial of Pillai. On Tuesday, Achuthanandan raked up an old rivalry with senior leader from Alappuzha district T K Palani, who had faced allegation of being a mastermind behind Achuthanandan’s electoral rout in Mararikkulam in 1996. In an interview to a private news channel, Achuthanandan repeated that he did not believe that party workers were involved in it. Naming Palani, Achuthanandan said those who had tried to defeat me at Mararikkulam were behind this allegation. I have given complaint to the party against the traitors. I hope the party would correct its stand, said the veteran. Reacting to the allegation, Palani said he was forced to suspect that the memorial was burnt with the tacit consent of Achuthanandan. The involvement of his former personal staff member shows that, said Palani. As the battle of words continued, CPI (M) state secretariat came down on the veteran, saying that his public comment against party stand was wrong and hoped that he would correct the stand. Achuthanandan should not have glorified the arrested former party worker Chandran, who, according to the party, had harboured anti-party sentiments. Party had warned Achuthanandan against taking Chandran in his personal staff. But, disregarding the party warning, he absorbed Chandran in his staff during the term as chief minister. Now, Achuthanandan has taken the same anti-party approach towards the arrest of Chandran. He should correct his stand, said the secretariat in an official communication.
