THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An authentic inside account on the factional feud that plagued the CPM for over three decades is now up for grabs. Communist veteran M M Lawrence, in his autobiography that hit the stands on Saturday, avers that V S Achuthanandan was the man behind factionalism in Kerala CPM.
Lawrence, who is second only to VS in terms of age and experience in Kerala CPM, has never shied away from being highly critical of the centenarian. In his autobiography ‘Ormacheppu Thurakkumpol’, Lawrence provides an insider’s view of the CPM. In what could serve as a pointer to the tumultuous period of factional feud that rocked the party, Lawrence unravels many a mystery that had long been hidden from the public.
The biography, which documents the origin of factionalism in the CPM, attempts to map the role of VS in the Communist movement in Kerala, while raising a barrage of charges against the veteran.
According to Lawrence, factionalism in the party reared its ugly head during three back-to-back state conferences - the 1991 Kozhikode conference where VS lost to E K Nayanar as party secretary by two votes, the 1994 Kollam conference where VS chose to target those who defeated him; and, the 1998 Palakkad conference that witnessed the infamous ‘Vetti Nirathal’, where the VS faction ensured the literal decimation of the CITU lobby. Five seniors, including Lawrence, the then LDF convener, failed to make it to the state committee.
Graphically detailing the Palakkad conference, Lawrence tellingly unravels how the VS camp meticulously planned and enacted the script on the final day. Contrary to the usual practice of unanimously accepting the already-finalised panel of a new state committee, the list was contested. In a pre-planned move, new names were proposed.
“The name of EMS (Nampoodiripad), the only leader alive among the three biggest leaders of the party in Kerala, was turned down by 37 people. VS was turned down by 14. Paloli Mohammedkutty secured the maximum votes,” recalls Lawrence.
The book also recounts how VS and Pinarayi Vijayan, who had for long stood united, drifted away and fought with each other during the Malappuram conference. Lawrence accuses VS of utilising party comrades as some sort of a personal squad to boost his political image.
“The remnants of factional feud in Ernakulam are yet to die down,” says Lawrence. VS used to maintain an attitude of vengeance, he writes, almost as an afterthought. Lawrence says VS was uncomfortable even with the presence of Communist patriarch EMS. He was sceptical of the wide mass appeal and acceptance among comrades that EMS enjoyed. Undoubtedly, the book could turn out to be the biggest documentation of factional fight in the Kerala CPM till date.