The CPI(M)'s official leadership had wanted Pinarayi Vijayan, currently Politbureau member, to lead the party in the last two Assembly elections in Kerala but on both occasions the luck to fulfill that mission and thus become the parliamentary party leader fell on senior leader VS Achuthanandan. A similar situation seems to be unfolding presently for the Kerala Marxists as poll date nears.
"You will be informed later," was the response of Achuthanandan, 92, when asked by newsmen whether he would be contesting the Assembly polls, to be held before the second week of May. That Pinarayi, his enemy in the party, will contest the election has already been confirmed and he is even tipped as the lDF's Chief Ministerial candidate.
Unable to decide even after several hours of discussions in Delhi on Saturday whether both of them should fight the polls and how to settle the issue of who should be made the leader of the parliamentary party after the election, the central leadership came to the conclusion that such an issue was to be settled by the State leadership in Kerala.
The State leadership will begin discussions on the matter on Tuesday and a final decision is expected at the meeting of the State committee on Wednesday. Despite the crucial nature of the issue, several leaders of the party hope that settling it may not be difficult since the intensity of enmity between the two leaders has come down considerably.
The party leadership as a whole seems to be backing Pinarayi as the choice for the chief minister's post in the event of the lDF's victory in the election but it also thinks that the presence of Achuthanandan on the campaign scene is inevitable to achieve that goal because of his popularity.
Despite his advanced age, Achuthanandan is still the most popular politician and biggest crowd-puller in Kerala and for the same reason, the central and State leaderships are in agreement with the idea of fielding him in the polls. But there are worries about his unpredictability and the possibility that he might stake claim for the top post once the election is over.
The central leadership - especially general secretary Sitaram Yechuri, described often as a VS fan - has made a strong proposal to the State CPI(M) that Achuthanandan and Pinarayi should be made candidates. It is now the responsibility of the State leadership to take decisions on the course to be followed after the election.
The State CPI(M)'s official leadership had in 2006 and 2011 - when the enmity between Achuthanandan and Pinarayi was at its peak - wanted the former not to contest the Assembly election but it was forced to reverse its decision on both occasions. The result was that in 2006 he had to be made the chief minister and in 2011 the Opposition leader.
However, CPI(M) leaders feel that such a situation does not exist now and that Achuthanandan may not play spoilsport even if the consequence of this will be the advent of Pinarayi to the post of the parliamentary party leader. CPI(M)-watchers also are of the opinion that he has stopped being a hard rebel in the party.
"VS is a much mellowed man now. He may never become a great friend of Pinarayi but there is perceptible change in his attitude towards matters concerning the party. Of late, he seems to be more concerned about the need of unity in the party," said a Kochi-based former Marxist theorist.
Despite the present confusion, CPI(M) leaders are confident about the party's ability to take the right decision. "Our party forums are capable of cracking harder nuts than this. The media is wasting time speaking about our non-existent internal problems. Give us another week and see how things shape up," said a former State committee member.
