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Kerala
Alappuzha issue may figure at CPI(M) meet
By Our Special Correspondent
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 24. The CPI(M) State committee, which will meet here for three days beginning January 28, is likely to hear complaints about the conduct of organisational elections at Alappuzha.
If the issue does figure at the State panel meeting, it could lead to an inquiry being instituted to examine the CPI(M) politburo member, V.S. Achuthanandan's allegation that organisational principles were violated at Alappuzha. The charge that Mr. Achuthanandan himself had violated norms of organisational discipline by going public with his complaint might also come up, but it is doubtful whether that would have the same vehemence as Mr. Achuthanandan's complaint against the present Alappuzha leadership.
There are a few factors that would determine how the issue would be handled by the individuals involved and the party as a whole. Mr. Achuthanandan himself had told delegates to the Ernakulam district conference of the party that he regretted having gone to the media with his complaint about the Alappuzha elections. That was when some of the delegates questioned the correctness of the senior leader's action. But that may not be the end of the story because Mr. Achuthanandan's feeling of hurt and humiliation is quite deep.
Even as Mr. Achuthanandan was expressing regrets, the party State secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, had told the Thiruvananthapuram district conference of the party that complaint, if any, about the happenings at Alappuzha would be looked into if someone raised the issue at the appropriate forum. Complaints against Mr. Achuthanandan have already gone to the party national leadership and, given his fellow politburo member, E. Balanandan's experience after the last party State conference at Palakkad, he could invite a reprimand for his indiscretion.
How the issue would be treated would depend on whether the contending parties want a rapprochement or wish to go in for a confrontation. Since the State committee is meeting to finalise the organisational and work report of the State party, issues including conduct of elections are very likely to figure in the discussions.
If the rival factions in the party are getting ready for a showdown, the Alappuzha issue might well kick up a lot of heat and dust. But the party national leadership is keen on averting a showdown. Whether Mr. Achuthanandan himself wants a head count to decide who all should lead the party during the coming three years would depend on the number of delegates he has on his side.
Despite the party leadership's stout denial of the existence of factionalism in the State party, a head count is already on among different factions to see who would come up trumps at Kannur next month. There are already straws in the wind suggesting that the going may not be smooth for Mr. Achuthanandan, but it is early days yet and Mr. Achuthanandan has time and again proved his detractors wrong.
According to one reckoning, Mr. Achuthanandan now enjoys the support of only 265 out of the 558 delegates (including elected delegates and State committee members and others) to the Kannur conference and his detractors have the support of 293 delegates. These are unverifiable figures. The figures may vary and could be loaded in favour of Mr. Achuthanandan, but they do narrate a tale. And that tale is that Mr. Achuthanandan cannot take things lightly this time. Alappuzha has already shown why it is so. The experience in some of the other districts which had stood by him at the Palakkad conference has also not been exactly comforting.
The districts where Mr. Achuthanandan has an edge over his detractors are Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur. His detractors have the upper hand in Alappuzha, Kottayam, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod. It is in a way a north-south divide. The rump CITU lobby is in a minuscule minority in the party now, but could still play spoilsport if it comes to a head count.
There is a move to avert elections to the State committee because in the event of an election, the delegates may well decide to axe many current members from the new committee. The Central leadership has been counselling restraint to all sections of the party and that might also come as a good excuse to avoid a direct confrontation.
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