Thiruvanathapuram: In an emotional address at the CPM state committee after being denied candidature, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan accused the state leadership of fostering anti-people trends in the party while trying to dissuade his pro-people fights. Sources said VS even pointed out the decision to retain P Sasi as a party member and asked how the party comrades would defend such a decision while doing door-to-door campaigning.
"You brand me as a comrade who always breaches the line of party discipline. True, I have worked for the people in accordance with their sentiments. I had taken up fights demanding the uplift of certain sections of the poor and downtrodden. Those fights were later upheld by the judiciary and the public. How can you brand me as a violator of Leninist principles for taking up such fights? Not me, it is those who oppose such fights who are working against the party,'' sources quoted VS as speaking at the committee.
VS listed a number of fights including his anti-lottery tirade, fight against corruption and mission to nail sex rackets and asked what was wrong in taking up those causes. He said all those campaigns would give the LDF an edge during the election and accused the state leadership of sidelining those campaigns.
"What is happening here is interesting. The one who fights against land mafia is not given a chance to contest while those who side with the land mafia are contesting the poll. The one who take up cudgels against sex rackets are out of the fray while those involved in such rackets get decent accommodation,'' sources quoted VS as saying.
Interestingly, the same committee which denied candidature to VS had decided not to expel P Sasi, CPM Kannur district former secretary, from the party. Sasi will be demoted to the branch but will continue as a party member. The decision of the CPM during the time of rectification campaign defies logic as Sasi himself had resigned from the party and he had violated party discipline by openly criticising Central Committee member V S Achuthanandan.
But, the state committee decided to take a lenient view of Sasi as he is a close confidant of the CPM state supremo. In the state committee, P Rajeev MP, S Rajendran MLA, Idukki district secretary M M Mani and Desabhimani unit manager K Varadarajan criticised VS heavily and said there was no need to give a ticket to him.
But VS received support from some unexpected quarters when M V Jayarajan, K P Sahadevan and K K Shailaja said that without VS, winning the polls would not be easy.
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