Pannian made Kerala CPI secretary

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After a high drama and heated deliberations in the state council, the responsibility to head the state unit of the CPI fell upon the 66-year-old national secretariat member Pannian Raveendran on Monday.The unprecedented move from the central leadership to nominate him came after the state council vehemently opposed the decision of the state executive to present  C Divakaran, CPI Parliamentary Party leader in the Assembly, as the successor to the late state secretary C K Chandrappan.The meetings which lasted nearly 12 hours from 9 am had to be stopped five times following intense clash of interest.“We have unanimously selected Pannian Raveendran as the state secretary,” national executive member K E Ismail told reporters.The central leadership arrived at this decision after a majority of the 84 members present in the state council declined to accept the choice of Divakaran by the 31-member state executive.More than 60 members in the state council, who opposed him, supported the  name of AITUC state secretary Kanam Rajendran.The day began at the CPI headquarters here with the four members from the national secretariat, secretary S Sudhakara Reddy, former secretary A B Bardhan, D Raja and Pannian Raveendran, proposing the name of Kanam for the secretaryship.