Leaders keep mum on VS re-entry

KOZHIKODE:  As the CPM Party Congress is heading for a  climax, the question that disturbs many of the Kerala comrades closely watching the  entire deliberations is whether the senior-most party leader from Kerala, V S Achuthanandan would be reinstated into the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the party, overcoming  the objections of the powerful official wing of the party in Kerala.Every responsible functionary of the party, right from  general secretary Prakash Karat, down to many of the ordinary delegates attending the conference here, have deftly managed to evade the question on the re-entry of VS to the Politburo. It was on June 12,2009, that VS was removed from the Politburo as the factionalism in the Kerala unit took a turn for the worse. The advice of the senior leaders, when asked about this issue was to wait  for two more days. VS, of course, is totally friendless in the state unit of the party, despite his popularity among the masses.  There aren’t  many  among the delegates also to take up his cause, although, it is ultimately the job of the new central committee to be formed at the conclusion of party congress to elect the new members of the Politburo. The state unit of the party hasn’t removed the adverse remarks made on VS in its report to the national  leadership, despite a directive in this connection made  by Sitaram Yechuri, who is known to be a supporter of  VS.  VS had already requested the General Secretary of the party to give a copy of the review report submitted by the Kerala unit headed by Pinarayi Vijayan.Meanwhile, an informal meeting VS had with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar at the Government Guest House here on Thursday, touched off a lot of speculation as the latter is known to have a soft corner for VS and his political stand. Nothing came off the meeting, and both the leaders refused to divulge anything on the issue.