Kochi: Terrifying public support to legendary Communist late V S Achuthanandan, 101, is heating up a debate over the harassment meted out to him during his tenure as Kerala Chief Minister and later, political observers said.
One of the founders of CPM in 1964, who Achuthanandan passed away on July 21, is in the centre of discussion over the official faction of the party insulting him on numerous occasions.
Achuthanandan’s supporters, who were sidelined by the party, have now come up in the open to target those who allegedly wanted to give capital punishment to the late Chief Minister whose rule was one of the best the state had witnessed.
A staunch supporter of V S, Pirappancode Murali flayed former MLA M Swaraj for seeking ‘capital punishment’ to Achuthanandan during the party state congress in 2012.
Murali, who was expelled from the party for alleged anti-party activities, has been backed by another Achuthanandan supporter Suresh Kurup, ex MP.
Kurup has endorsed Murali’s allegations in an opinion published by a leading Malayalam daily.
Kurup alleged that a “woman of Achuthanandan’s granddaughter’s age had recommended capital punishment” at the State conference.
With the media making it a topic of prime time discussion, the issue is going to harm seriously.
More supporters of Achuthanandan are likely to come out in the open.
It remains to be seen if the erstwhile VS group will see its revival or the official faction would bring round the sulking members.
One thing is written over the wall that the wave is in favour of the supporters of Achuthanandan whose son Arun Kumar has announced his plans to not enter politics.
It is advantageous for the disgruntled CPM leaders who were sidelined by the official faction for showing affinity to Achuthanandan who was at loggerheads with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan resulting in the party struggling to manage two power houses in the state unit.
Pinarayi-Achuthanandan groupism gained momentum since the CPM state conference in Malappuram.
Thereafter they used to express their differences in public.
Achuthanandan as chief minister was suffocated by the official faction which wanted the government to get all files cleared by CPM state unit headed by Pinarayi who was the secretary then.
Things reached the crescendo when the Achuthanandan government gave its nod to the Governor to act against Pinarayi in the SNC Lavalin scam which is before the Supreme Court.
VS group wakes up
