THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPI’s new state leadership is all set to take over the reins of party mouthpiece ‘Janayugam’ which is still being controlled by pro-Ismayil leaders. A new team of leadership led by ex-Minister Binoy Viswam will take over Janayugam soon. The incumbent editor M P Achuthan MP, who is known to be a trusted lieutenant of assistant secretary K E Ismayil, will vacate office for Viswam once the proposal is cleared by the state executive and state council of the CPI.
Sources said that Achuthan had already put in his papers as per the directive of the leadership. Though the official reason cited is his engagements in Delhi as a Rajya Sabha MP, the real story is related to the worsening group equations in the party. Ismayil, who wielded much clout in the state CPI when Veliyam Bhargavan was the secretary, is at loggerheads with C K Chandrappan, who is a nominee of the AITUC group in the party comprising Kanam Rajendran and C Divakaran and many other powerful leaders.
There is a criticism within the party that Ismayil hadn’t worked hard for the party during the Assembly polls. Incidents that led to the expulsion of A Rahmathullah and T Suresh Chandran, who were tall leaders of the party in Malappuram and Wayanad districts respectively, was also believed to be related to the group war. A section in the party alleges that these leaders, who belong to the Ismayil faction, purposefully worked against the CPI during the elections. Both of them announced their resignations before the party could expel them.
The recent episodes had widened the gap between both factions and the organisational elections scheduled to begin in September would be used by the AITUC group to ensure that non-performers, read Ismayil sympathisers, are eliminated from key posts.
Party leaders foresee the possibility of even Ismayil and another assistant secretary C N Chandran losing their jobs as assistant secretaries once the state conference is over by February next.