Kerala CM Achuthanandan removed from CPM politburo

The CPM on Sunday removed Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan from the party's politburo and the central committee, reported Times Now.

Achuthanandan has been accused of leaking information to the media.

The chief minister, who attended the first day's session on Saturday, skipped Sunday's meeting. A formal statement of the party's decision is expected later in the day, a news agrncy reported.

Achuthanandan and the powerful state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan have been at loggerheads for the past few months with the former demanding that Vijayan be removed from his post since he has been named an accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Rs 374 crore SNC Lavalin corruption case.

The Vijayan faction, in retaliation, has demanded that disciplinary action be taken against Achuthanandan for "violating party discipline".

Party insiders fear that the CPM might split in Kerala if action is taken only against the chief minister.