By IANS
Kozhikode/Thiruvananthapuram : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Monday said Kairali TV channel, which had been drawn into the growing factionalism in the party’s Kerala unit, was not a “party channel”.
“We support that channel and apart from that there is nothing that we have in it. We have made this clear many times before also,” CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters in Kozhikode.
The CPI-M here is deeply divided between factions loyal to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Vijayan.
Kairali TV, which is said to be backed by Vijayan, got embroiled in the factionalism when it interviewed controversial businessman Farris Abubacker, who lashed out at Achuthanandan.
The interview was aired after the chief minister termed Abubacker a “hated” person and criticised one of Vijayan’s aides for reportedly taking Rs.6 million from Abubacker for the Nayanar memorial football tournament in Kannur.
Vijayan also criticised the interview aired. “We don’t approve of what happened in the interview,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Achuthanandan made a veiled attack on Abubacker at a speech in Thiruvananthapuram.
He said that a “land bank” mafia was involved in real estate and was “diverting hawala money into this business.”