By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram: The differences of opinion in the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) towards the jailed People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Abdul Nazir Maudany surfaced yet again Saturday.
The official faction of the CPI-M led by party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has come out stating that he should be given justice, while leader of opposition and former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan sees it as the responsibility of the court.
Maudany was arrested Aug 17, 2010, in connection with the conspiracy for the 2008 Bangalore bomb blast. He is currently lodged in a Bangalore jail for the past 28 months.
CPI-M politburo member and former home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that the state government should intervene in getting justice to Maudany.
“When Maudany was in the Coimbatore jail, Achuthanandan, then education minister went to prevail upon then Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi for his justice. Likewise, now, the present Kerala government should intervene,” said Balakrishnan.
But Achuthanandan, however took a different stand and remarked that this is not an issue for either the Left Democratic Front (LDF) or the United Democratic Front (UDF-the present ruling coalition here).
“This is an issue for the court and they have to look into the issue. You (the media) should not see this an issue of either the LDF or the UDF,” said Achuthanandan to reporters Saturday.
Incidentally the difference of opinion between Achuthanandan and the official faction of the CPI-M has been there since Maudany was acquitted in 2007, after he was arrested in 1998 Coimbatore serial bombings.
The official faction took a soft stand towards Maudany and used him for their election campaign in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, much against the wishes of Achuthanandan.