Downsized VS faces heat in state assembly
The chief minister’s ignominy is compounded by the fact that he will head a cabinet in which home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is a politburo member while the CM himself is not.
By Joe A Scaria, ET Bureau |
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after the CPM central committee disgraced him by ejecting him from the politburo, Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan faced the wrath of the Congress-led opposition in the state assembly for what it called the ���total breakdown��� of administration in the state under his government.
The CPM central committee had on Sunday axed Mr Achuthanandan from the politburo ���in view of the violations of organizational principle and discipline��� by him. Strikingly, state CPM secretary Pinarayi Vijayan who is an accused in the SNC Lavalin case and is seen to be in friction with the CM, was spared the same treatment.
The chief minister���s ignominy is compounded by the fact that he will head a cabinet in which home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is a politburo member while the CM himself is not.
Sensing the opportunity to cash in on the rift in the ruling CPM, the Congress-led opposition demanded an adjournment motion to discuss the ���complete breakdown��� of administrative machinery in the state. Opposition leader Oommen Chandy said pressing issues of the common people were unattended owing to the constant bickering within the CPM.
Outside the assembly, Mr Chandy accused the CPM leadership of having favoured Pinarayi Vijayan who is an accused in the SNC Lavalin case while putting down V S Achuthanandan. ���The person who has pointed out the graft has been punished even as Vijayan is being projected to be clean. They owe an explanation for this to the people of Kerala���, Mr Chandy commented about the CPM leadership���s decision to downgrade the chief minister.
The decision to demote Mr Achuthanandan is expected to intensify the factional rivalry in the state unit of the CPM between the camps associated with the CM and Pinarayi Vijayan. Soon after the central leadership gave its verdict on the CM, his supporters took out marches in different parts of the state, shouting slogans praising him. There were also fax messages to the central leadership and wall posters criticizing the decision to eject the CM from the politburo.
Some of the rebels who have had to leave the party in recent times after falling out with the Pinarayi Vijayan camp have encouraged Mr Achuthanandan to quit and join the movement against the official faction in a full-fledged manner, but observers here say that the CM is likely to stick to his characteristic wait-and-watch approach this time, too.
The CPM central committee had on Sunday axed Mr Achuthanandan from the politburo ���in view of the violations of organizational principle and discipline��� by him. Strikingly, state CPM secretary Pinarayi Vijayan who is an accused in the SNC Lavalin case and is seen to be in friction with the CM, was spared the same treatment.
The chief minister���s ignominy is compounded by the fact that he will head a cabinet in which home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is a politburo member while the CM himself is not.
Sensing the opportunity to cash in on the rift in the ruling CPM, the Congress-led opposition demanded an adjournment motion to discuss the ���complete breakdown��� of administrative machinery in the state. Opposition leader Oommen Chandy said pressing issues of the common people were unattended owing to the constant bickering within the CPM.
Outside the assembly, Mr Chandy accused the CPM leadership of having favoured Pinarayi Vijayan who is an accused in the SNC Lavalin case while putting down V S Achuthanandan. ���The person who has pointed out the graft has been punished even as Vijayan is being projected to be clean. They owe an explanation for this to the people of Kerala���, Mr Chandy commented about the CPM leadership���s decision to downgrade the chief minister.
The decision to demote Mr Achuthanandan is expected to intensify the factional rivalry in the state unit of the CPM between the camps associated with the CM and Pinarayi Vijayan. Soon after the central leadership gave its verdict on the CM, his supporters took out marches in different parts of the state, shouting slogans praising him. There were also fax messages to the central leadership and wall posters criticizing the decision to eject the CM from the politburo.
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Some of the rebels who have had to leave the party in recent times after falling out with the Pinarayi Vijayan camp have encouraged Mr Achuthanandan to quit and join the movement against the official faction in a full-fledged manner, but observers here say that the CM is likely to stick to his characteristic wait-and-watch approach this time, too.
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