Achuthanandan comes under attack from party

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI(M) stalwart and Kerala Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan has come under attack in the party's state unit for questioning action taken against the cadre who opposed denial of ticket to him to contest the Assembly polls.The CPI(M) state secretariat, dominated by the faction loyal to state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, took a serious view of the octogenarian leader's act of openly questioning the party's decision.A party communique issued last evening said Achuthanandan's statement supporting the cadre who held demonstrations in different parts of the state flouting organisational discipline could only be seen seriously as it was capable of creating confusion among the rank and file.Before the Assembly polls in April, the rival faction had reportedly made a move to deny Achuthanandan another chance to contest. As the news spread, his supporters took out marches in many parts of the state denouncing the move.The party later reversed its decision to deny ticket to Achuthanandan, apparently under pressure from the ranks and the central leadership, and he scored a hattrick win from the red bastion Malampuzha in Palakkad district.Significantly, the current bout of factional feud in CPI(M) in Kerala has begun when the triennial elections in various tiers of the party are about to start.The organisational meetings and elections starting from the local committee level will culminate with the party congress to be held in Kozhikode in April 2012.The last party elections in Kerala were marred by factional tussles in many places, mostly polarised between the groups loyal to Achuthanandan and Vijayan.