By IANS
Kottayam (Kerala) : Kerala’s ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) began its much discussed conference here Monday amid indications that the factional feud between groups led by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and state unit secretary Pinarayi Vijayan would dominate proceedings.
Party general secretary Prakash Karat inaugurated the four-day meeting, which should reveal what is in store for the party and more importantly for Achuthanandan.
A record 561 delegates, most of them Vijayan loyalists, elected from the 14 districts of the state are attending the conference, being held a few weeks before the once-in-three years CPI-M congress in Coimbatore.
Mobile jammers have been installed and all steps are being taken to ensure that news of what’s happening inside is not leaked outside.
The four-day state conference has attracted huge attention because of the fierce fights between the Achuthanandan and Vijayan factions. Media reports indicate that Vijayan’s report to the conference, cleared late Sunday by the party state committee, makes a bitter attack on the Achuthanandan group.
Ever since Achuthanandan was sworn in as chief minister in May 2006, the party and the government have been fighting a cold war.
Achuthanandan, who has come back several times after being written off, hopes that the corruption issues that have already surfaced against Vijayan faction could well be the trump card to hit back at his rivals.
The corruption cases include accepting money from a lottery king, sale of government land and the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation probe into a deal involving Vijayan when he was the power minister in the 1996 E.K. Nayanar ministry.