Pinarayi, VS trade charges on eve of CPI(M) state meet

In a flare-up of prolonged rivalry on the eve of the state meet, CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijyan mounted a merciless attack on party's senior leader V S Achuthanandan for shooting a strongly worded letter to central leadership on the state unit's functioning.
Reacting sharply to Vijayan's barbs, the nonagenarian leader said he is "rejecting with deserving contempt" the allegations of the state secretary and said he expected a reply on issues raised by him from the polit bureau.
"I have sent a letter to polit bureau. I expect a reply from them (PB members). I reject with deserving contempt his (Vijayan's) statement," Achuthanandan, who was also in Alappuzha, told reporters.

Significantly, the trading of charges between the two leaders happened on the eve of the crucial state conference where Vijayan will step down as state secretary on completion of three consecutive terms at the key post.
A founding leader of the CPI(M), Achuthanandan had sent a strongly worded letter to the polit bureau citing serious lapses on the part of the state leadership, which also got leaked to sections of media.
Questioning the contention of the Vijayan-led state unit that it had been performing quite well over a decade, the senior leader alleged that the leadership had in fact committed several serious mistakes.

The veteran leader referred to issues like the murder of rebel Marxist T P Chandrasekharan, tactical alliance struck by the CPI(M) with PDP led by Abdul Nasser Madani in 2009 Lok Sabha elections and the party's "failure" to lead a strong and sustained stir against the UDF Government.
Addressing a press meet after a meeting of the state secretariat, Vijayan rubbished the charges raised by Achuthanandan and accused him of "gross violation of party discipline".
He went on to say that Achuthanandan had stooped to the level of a factionalist and his latest stance only betrayed "anti-party mindset".