Karat faces uphill task as VS, Vijayan backers clash
The settlement in Delhi seems to have only opened up the bigger war in the party as supporters of Achuthanandan and CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan took their fight onto the streets in an ugly brawl in Ambalappuzha.
By Joe A Scaria, ET Bureau |
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Prakash Karat may have won round one in Delhi on Sunday in tackling the ongoing feud in CPM's Kerala unit by ejecting chief minister V S Achuthanandan from the politburo, but the strains within the party have only intensified as the CPM general secretary reached here on Monday evening for the state secretariat meeting.
The settlement in Delhi seems to have only opened up the bigger war in the party as supporters of Achuthanandan and CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan took their fight onto the streets in an ugly brawl in Ambalappuzha on Monday evening.
Some of the emotions prevailing in the state against Karat himself for demoting Achuthanandan were all over the local media as cartoonists went to town lampooning him. Karat was caricatured in different tones, with one cartoon depicting him as Ka-Rat that belled Achuthanandan, another showing the chief minister asking him, 'Et tu Karats?', and yet another portraying the CPM general secretary as a key-operated toy with the caption 'Available secretary'.
Capitalising on the hostility within the CPM, the Congress-led opposition demanded an adjournment motion in the state assembly to discuss the attack on the rally held by Achuthanandan supporters in Ambalappuzha. The speaker, however, denied permission for the same after home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's statement that arrests were already made in the matter. The opposition then staged a walkout.
Opposition leader Oommen Chandy accused home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan of being "scared" to disclose who were involved in the attack. In an apparent attempt to instigate the treasury benches, Mr Chandy suggested that it was because the CM was keeping mum that his supporters were beaten up.
Prakash Karat and politburo member Sitaram Yechuri are here to participate in the CPM state secretariat where the decisions of the central committee held in Delhi will be reported.
The attack against Achuthanandan supporters is seen by political circles here to be a strong signal that the party's official faction that supports Pinarayi Vijayan will not permit defying of party decisions including the one to demote Achuthanandan.
There is speculation whether the CM will demit office, but it is widely perceived that he will lie low for the moment before deciding on his next move.
The settlement in Delhi seems to have only opened up the bigger war in the party as supporters of Achuthanandan and CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan took their fight onto the streets in an ugly brawl in Ambalappuzha on Monday evening.
Some of the emotions prevailing in the state against Karat himself for demoting Achuthanandan were all over the local media as cartoonists went to town lampooning him. Karat was caricatured in different tones, with one cartoon depicting him as Ka-Rat that belled Achuthanandan, another showing the chief minister asking him, 'Et tu Karats?', and yet another portraying the CPM general secretary as a key-operated toy with the caption 'Available secretary'.
Capitalising on the hostility within the CPM, the Congress-led opposition demanded an adjournment motion in the state assembly to discuss the attack on the rally held by Achuthanandan supporters in Ambalappuzha. The speaker, however, denied permission for the same after home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's statement that arrests were already made in the matter. The opposition then staged a walkout.
Opposition leader Oommen Chandy accused home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan of being "scared" to disclose who were involved in the attack. In an apparent attempt to instigate the treasury benches, Mr Chandy suggested that it was because the CM was keeping mum that his supporters were beaten up.
Prakash Karat and politburo member Sitaram Yechuri are here to participate in the CPM state secretariat where the decisions of the central committee held in Delhi will be reported.
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The attack against Achuthanandan supporters is seen by political circles here to be a strong signal that the party's official faction that supports Pinarayi Vijayan will not permit defying of party decisions including the one to demote Achuthanandan.
There is speculation whether the CM will demit office, but it is widely perceived that he will lie low for the moment before deciding on his next move.
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