The CPI(M) on Sunday limited the disciplinary action against 93-year-old former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, one of the founding leaders of the party, to a mere warning while it decided to include him in the party’s State committee as a special invitee who could take part in debates but would have no voting right.
“The party’s central committee (CC) discussed the report of the Politbureau (PB) commission (which looked into the charges of indiscipline against Achuthanandan). It warned Comrade VS to abide by the party norms and discipline,” general secretary Sitaram Yechuri told media persons on Sunday after a three-day meeting of the central committee in Thiruvananthapuram.
Though the party limited the action against him to a mere warning – the simplest of the disciplinary actions as per the CPI(M)’s constitution–for breach of discipline considering his status as “a founding leader, guide and senior leader and his contributions”, it did not accept his demand for inclusion in the State Secretariat.
This is the 10th time that Achuthanandan, who was Politbureau member for a long time, has faced disciplinary action in his political career with the communist movement. “I am satisfied with the central committee’s decisions,” Achuthanandan said in response to the statements of Yechuri.
When newsmen pointed out that the central committee’s decision was to warn him, he said, “That is all part of the organization’s procedures.” Earlier he had said that the decisions taken by the CC were satisfactory and fair.
“He asked us what his party forum will be. We told him your forum will be the State committee. He cannot vote but can speak in that forum. We told him you should speak in the State committee and not outside,” Yechuri said. “We value his contributions. Also, we wish him to continue to make contributions as he has been doing so far,” he added.
The fact, according to CPI(M)-watchers, is that the central committee could not have taken a harsher action against him than issuing a warning as it has done now or censuring him – if it was not prepared to expel him – because he, as just a special invitee to the central committee, was part of no particular party forum.
The PB commission headed by Prakash Karat, then party general secretary, was constituted four years ago in order to examine the Kerala State committee’s allegations of indiscipline against Achuthanandan and his charges against the State committee and then Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, currently the Chief Minister.
The commission’s report was later put in cold storage but it was taken out once again after his surprising act of openly boycotting the party’s State conference at Alappuzha in February, 2015. The veteran leader, who walked out of the conference fed up with the relentless attacks against him, had rejected the party leadership’s instructions to return to the venue.
At the same time, the central committee did not discuss the issue of the charge of nepotism against EP Jayarajan, former Industries minister and a senior member of the same forum against whom the Kerala Vigilance has filed an FIR naming him as first accused, and PK Sreemathi, another CC member. Yechuri said the next CC meeting might consider the matter.