The ongoing joust between Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan and the state CPI(M) has reached stalemate point, with both sides winning and losing in equal measure and unable to claim a decisive victory.
The CPI(M) Politburo and central committee, which met on May 10 to 12 in Delhi, ratified the state committee’s decision to oust three personal aides of Achuthanandan while deciding against the state committee’s demand to remove him as the Opposition leader.
The state committee and secretariat raised the demand for removal of Achuthanandan based on P Karunakaran Commission’s report on his alleged role in fanning the T P Chandrasekharan murder case and casting aspersions on the state leadership over the issue. The commission also had been critical of Achuthanandan raking up the SNC Laveline case with the aim of checkmating Pinarayi Vijayan.
Achuthanandan valiantly fought in the central committee to impress upon the central leadership to review the state committee’s decision to expel three of his personal aides. The central committee could not arrive at a decision and it referred the issue to the politburo to take a final decision. The politburo in a balancing act ratified the state committee’s decision to oust his three personal aides while deciding against Achuthanandan’s removal as the Opposition leader.
The Politburo decision has not gone down well with the state leadership. Leaders vent their ire in the state committee meeting on May 14, reiterating the stand that Achuthanandan should be removed. Prakash Karat and politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai who were present at the meeting emphasised the need for taking Achutahnandan along with the state leadership to put up a joint fight in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. When the state leaders persisted, they asked them to wait till the six member politburo commission’s report was out. The commission comprises Karat, Sitaram Yechury, Pillai, Nirupam Sen, Raghavulu and A K Padmanabhan. But Achuthanandan can bank on Yechury and Nirupam Sen only, as Raghavulu is considered a leader acting on objectivity and any unprovoked reaction from Achuthanandan would not be taken lightly by him, says a top CPI(M) leader in the state unit on condition of anonymity.
As of now, the politburo can laud itself for crossing over the crisis mounted in the state unit. In the given situation, both the official faction in the state unit as well as Achuthanandan is left with no option but tolerating each other for the benefit of the party.
For Achuthanandan, it could also be the end of the road. He has been left with little option of confining himself to the role of the Opposition leader and toe the party line as he is under the surveillance of the central leadership. The politburo has instructed both Achuthanandan and his detractors to refrain from triggering controversies.
Across the political spectrum, there is a strong feeling that Achuthanandan was spared this time since the party is striving to regain lost ground in the state.
Speaking to The Sunday Standard noted psephologist and political analyst G Gopakaumar said for all practical purposes, it is sunset time for Achuthanandan. “He is totally isolated in the party. There are still takers for him in the central committee and the West Bengal lobby may be supporting him. The central leadership is aware of his huge popularity and the mass base he enjoys in the state and any action against him ahead of the Lok Sabha polls would be a spoiler,” Gopakaumar said.
New replacements are being made in consultation with Achuthanandan, but the state leadership will not give him any leverage and scope to manipulate the situation. Gopakunar said it would not be the same advantageous situation for Achuthanandan once the Lok Sabha elections are over.