VS demands Vijayans resignation,special Politburo meet next month

With Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan unrelenting in his demand that scam-tainted state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan....

With Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan unrelenting in his demand that scam-tainted state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan should be asked to step down from all party posts,the CPI(M) on Friday decided to hold a special meeting of the Politburo next month to discuss the issue.

Meeting for the first time after the Kerala Governor gave the CBI sanction to prosecute Vijayan in the SNC-Lavalin graft case,the Politburo,which had earlier dubbed the case as politically motivated,appeared divided on the issue. In a way,it accepted that the case had an impact on the election results with the Opposition using it to tarnish the image of the CPI(M).

Although the Lavalin issue was not discussed in detail,it was touched upon and at least four members,including Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat,are learned to have argued that the issue had tainted the image of the party. Achuthanandan complained that the partys media arms in Kerala,packed with Vijayan loyalists,are targeting him continuously.

Story continues below this ad

The party central leadership is in a fix as both VS and Vijayan camps have demanded each others removal,creating an explosive situation in the state CPI(M). Against this backdrop,the Politburo will meet in the first week of July and sources said the option of asking both the warring heavyweights to step aside could also be explored.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee reported to the Politburo the developments in Lalgarh and the steps taken by his Government to deal with the situation. The Politburo felt the operation to flush out the Maoists,who it said had the support of the Trinamool Congress,was absolutely necessary.

The Politburo deliberated on the election review report to be submitted before the Central Committee. While it admitted that the Third Front put together before the elections was not accepted by the people,it underlined the necessity for and the possibility of creating a third alternative had not ended and it should be pursued.

The Bengal lobby had been arguing hard that the Third Front could not gain the confidence of the people and the absence of a credible alternative had resulted in the Congress victory. But the Politburo report made it clear that state-specific factors like Nandigram and Singur also played a major role in the drubbing in Bengal and Kerala.

Story continues below this ad

The sub-text is that the Third Front had no relevance in either Kerala or West Bengal as the BJP is not a force in both these states and hence to blame the third alternative for the debacle will not be entirely correct. It felt that the state CPI(M) should try to regain the confidence of the people of Bengal.

As far as Kerala is concerned,the Politburo felt the Lavalin controversy as also the poll arrangement with the PDP,led by Abdul Nassar Madhani,had a bearing on the elections as it created confusion,and the Opposition exploited the situation. Achuthanandan had been arguing that the understanding with the PDP was against the party line and cost it dearly in the elections.

The differences in the LDF and the alienation of minorities,particularly Christians,also played a role in the elections,the Politburo felt. The Central Committee that meets here over the weekend would discuss the report.