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Ministers want Kerala CM out

Crisis in CPM ahead of election results
Last Updated 08 May 2009, 19:44 IST

With just a week to go for the results of the general election, the CPM state unit has launched a strong move to unseat Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who continues to be a thorn in its side by challenging the party on various issues.

Most members of the party state secretariat which met here on Friday, including Achutha-nandan’s cabinet colleagues, have reportedly demanded his resignation. Their grouse was that he dared the party’s stand to accept the advocate-general’s advice in the SNC Lavalin case at the last cabinet meeting.

Advocate-general C P Sudhakar Prasad had advised the government against recommending the prosecution of Pinarayi Vijayan who has been made an accused by the CBI in the corruption case.

At the Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Achuthanandan said he had a different opinion in the matter and even threatened to make it known to the governor. Even though he had to finally give in, his colleagues, including those representing the LDF allies, were not at all pleased with the unusual situation they were in. The CPM secretariat, which met in the presence of Vijayan, took exception to Achuthanandan’s stand.

Achuthanandan defended himself saying he was only exercising his constitutional responsibilities. He said if he accepted the party’s stand in the Lavalin case, he would have to withdraw from all other corruption battles he had been waging in courts against several UDF leaders, including K Karuna-karan.

Sources said the minutes of the meeting were being presented to the politburo.

‘Even though party PB member S Ramachandran Pillai in Delhi dismissed the reports as speculative, top sources in the central committee have confirmed that they intend “to put a fullstop to this issue once and for all.”  Achuthanandan’s continuing “one-man destructive mission against the party” is expected to be taken up as soon as the government formation at the Centre is over.

As reported, the CPM claims that the CBI is being used as a political tool by the Congress to settle scores with its rivals and that Vijayan’s hands are clean in the case.

A former power minister, Vijayan is alleged to have indulged in corruption in the award of a contract worth Rs 374 crore to the Canadian company for repair and maintenance works at three hydro-electric projects in the state. The CAG later assessed that the work hardly improved the efficiency of these projects.

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(Published 08 May 2009, 19:44 IST)

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