VS Achuthanandan dragging Prakash Karat into CPM infighting

KOCHI: The long-drawn infighting in the Kerala unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is now threatening to drag party general secretary Prakash Karat into it.

Kerala CPM is virtually split into a minority of those supporting former CM and opposition leader VS Achuthanandan who are pitted against a powerful faction owing their allegiance to the official leadership of state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. The infighting, which was lying dormant for some time, came alive this week when Achuthanandan alleged that his detractors in the party were behind torching the memorial of P Krishna Pillai – pre-eminent among the founders of party’s Kerala unit – in Alappuzha in November 2013.

He has now said Karat should look at his mistakes in a self-critical way and speak about the issue with an open mind. In an interview with a Malayalam TV channel, Achuthanandan said he had highlighted the shortcomings of Vijayan earlier. “The party should discuss all these aspects,” he said.

Achuthanandan and Vijayan has been at loggerheads for years now, and the former has often gone against the official stance of the party on several important issues.