THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, the co-founder of CPI(M), always had a penchant for breaking the fence of discipline the party had erected around him.
The expulsion of VS from the CPM Politburo on Sunday was the fifth disciplinary action he had to face in a political career that had spanned over seven decades.
While punishing VS for breaching Leninist principle, the present leadership of the party has forgotten that the very same party had been a product of the breach of Leninist organisational principles. In 1964, VS, Jyothi Basu and 30 others came out of the central committee meeting of the undivided CPI in protest against a decision of the majority. Had they been stuck to the Leninist principle of conceding to the majority decision, the CPM would not have been born.
VS had to face disciplinary action for the first time during the second India-China war in 1964-65. VS was a prisoner in Central prison, Poojappura, where he was jailed along with several other CPM leaders after being labelled as a `Chinese spy’.
During the imprisonment, Achuthanandan came forward to organise political prisoners and advocated that they should donate blood for the injured Indian soldiers. This was his idea to get rid of the traitor label. The idea was discussed by the CPM jail committee and dismissed as one that was against Marxist- Leninist organisational principles. Later, Achuthanandan took up the issue once again in the jail committee but there were serious differences of opinion among the members. O.J. Joseph was the convener of the committee which comprised top leaders like A.
Anirudhan and N. Padmalochanan, who is at present the Mayor of Kollam. The discussion reached the level of clashes between comrades and some of the prisoners informed EMS and AKG, who were the only national leaders out of prison at that time. There was a prompt inquiry and the issue was taken up by the CPM state committee meeting in Kochi held in 1965 after the release of political prisoners. The decision was harsh.
VS was demoted to branch from the Central Committee. Nearly 10 leaders including O.J. Joseph, A. Anirudhan and N.
Padmalochanan were demoted to the next lower level. But, VS and other leaders staged a comeback after months when the party congress was held. The next disciplinary action came in the form of a public censure. It was after the infamous `vettinirathal episode’ in the Palakkad state conference in 1998.
Achuthanandan could defeat a number of tall leaders like M.M. Lawrence and K.N. Raveendranath in the election to the state committee.
VS was censured by the party for fuelling factionalism.
The third one came as a warning, which many believe was a censure, with regard to the ADB loan controversy.
It was in January, 2007, months after VS took over as CM. The central leadership strongly warned VS and Ministers Paloli Mohammedkutty and Thomas Isaac for publicly engaging in controversies over the acceptance of ADB loan. Four months later, the PB had decided to suspend VS and Pinarayi Vijayan.
This was after the two leaders publicly engaged in a verbal duel. Incidentally, that was the first disciplinary action against Pinarayi Vijayan. ``The party is like a mother who will scold her children in a bid to correct their mistakes,’’ was the reply of VS after the suspension in May, 2007.
The million-dollar question is whether he will accept the present action also in a sportsman spirit.
