It was the secretariat which first decided to axe the chief minister and instead vest Politburo member and Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan with the task of leading the party and the front in the elections. Sensing the mood, Achuthanandan told the state committee which assembled later that he was excusing himself from the election owing to health reasons. This was contrary to the 87-year-old veteran leader's own statement a few days ago that he was ready to lead the party in the elections.
According to sources, the official faction of the party (read supporters of Pinarayi Vijayan) made it clear that there was no question of further condoning Achuthanandan's continuing “anti-party” activities. “No communist chief minister has ever got away with challenging the party and its apparatus like VS did. He has been publicly daring the party stand on issues, disowning his ministerial colleagues and had become a pawn in the hands of the media..,'' so went the official faction's line of argument at the meeting.
There are reports of some CPM workers demonstrating against the leadership in several districts. After over four years of infighting in the party and the government, it was Achuthanandan's actions which earned some brownie points for the LDF towards the fag end of its term. The UDF suffered a jolt in recent weeks when former minister R Balakrishna Pillai was held guilty in the Idamalayar dam corruption case. The icecream parlour sex scandal case involving IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty was revived and the palmolein case also received a fresh lease of life. Achuthanandan was seen as instrumental behind all these developments.
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