CM resents CPM Polit Bureau''s move to pull him up

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 17 (PTI) The CPI-M Polit Bureau''sreported move to pull up Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan forsidestepping the leadership on the lottery issue is likely tosharpen the divide in the party''s Kerala unit ahead of theAssembly polls in a few months.

Achuthanandan is learnt to have taken exception to thereported move and media reports that he was going to becensured.

He had come under sharp attack from his rivals forwriting to the Centre seeking a CBI probe into irregularitiesin the operation of lotteries from outside Kerala andsiphoning off thousands of crores of rupees from the state.

At the Polit Bureau meeting, that concluded at Kolkatayesterday, the rival group led by the state secretary PinarayiVijayan had accused Achuthanandan of entirely sidestepping theleadership on such a sensitive issue, saying it involvedserious breach of organisational discipline.

Sources close to Achuthanandan said he would be writingto the Polit Bureau taking strong exception to leakage of thereport of an inner-party action.

His contention would be that the central probe soughtagainst the "lottery mafia" was part of his battle againstcorruption, which should not construed as violation of partydiscipline and principles.

If the party goes ahead with the reported move againsthim, it would for the third time that the 85-year-old Marxistveteran would be facing action on charge of violating partydiktats during the last four-and-a-half years of his headingthe state government.

He was demoted midway during his tenure from the PolitBureau to the Central Committee for openly airing his views onthe SNC-Lavalin case in which CPI-M state secretary and PBmember Pinarayi Vijayan is an accused for allegedirregularities in some power projects when he was the energyminister.

He was earlier censured for his views against receivingADB loans by the state in 2007, which was contrary to thestand taken by the party. Achuthanandan was also suspendedfrom the PB the same year for an open verbal fight againstVijayan on inner party issues.

The censure against Achuthanandan will be reported to theCentral Committee at its next meeting though a publicstatement is unlikely since it will not be an open censure.

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