CPM slams party leader for defending former aide

IANS/Thiruvananthapuram

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) yesterday censured party leader and former Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan for defending a former aide arrested for setting ablaze the memorial to a communist veteran.

After a lull in intra-party conflict, the CPM’s state unit criticised Achuthanandan for his stand on the destruction of the memorial to P Krishna Pillai.

Of the five suspects in the case, Litheesh P Chandran was a staff member of Achuthanandan when he was chief minister from 2006 to 2011.

Initially, Achuthanandan termed the attack “heinous and pre-planned.” But when Chandran and his close friends were named as accused, he termed it a conspiracy by police and asked the CPM to condemn the police.

The CPM yesterday approved the sacking of party members accused of desecrating the monument at Alappuzha.

“It was wrong on the part of Achuthanandan to have glorified Chandran, which has caused a dent to the party’s image. He should stop airing such remarks in public,” a party statement said.

Chandran was arrested this month and released on bail. The others got anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court.

Pillai was a founder-leader of the communist movement in Kerala. He died of snake bite on August 19, 1948 while in hiding.

The CPM also gave a clean slate to Alappuzha party veteran T K Palani who, Achuthanandan alleged, had a role in the attack on the memorial.

Yesterday’s statement comes ahead of the CPM state conference where it will elect a new state party secretary to succeed Pinarayi Vijayan who has completed three terms.