ALAPPUZHA: Intervention of the state leadership has prevented factional feud in Alappuzha from exploding. With some delegates at the CPM Alappuzha district conference launching a scathing attack on former minister G Sudhakaran, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked them to stop it.
Factionalism is under control in all other districts, but it is active in Alappuzha CPM and the internal feud is a headache for the leadership. A section which supports minister Saji Cheriyan has been lashing out at Sudhakaran, a state committee member, for the past couple of years. The allegations that Sudhakaran, whom the party denied ticket to contest elections, didn't actively engage in campaigning for the assembly polls last year paved the way for factionalism in the party in the district reaching its summit. With the party's inquiry panels acknowledging merit in the allegations, the party had censured Sudhakaran.
It is in this background that the district conference started on Tuesday. When delegates meet started on Tuesday, those from certain area committees unleashed verbal attacks on Sudhakaran. The CPM leadership was keen on crushing any kind of factionalism as it would affect the smooth conduct of the state conference and the party Congress to be held in Kerala in March and April, respectively. Top leaders, including S Ramachandran Pillai, Pinarayi Vijayan and MA Baby, attended the district conference. As per reports, Vijayan even postponed the cabinet meeting scheduled on Wednesday to Thursday. When the delegates continued to criticize Sudhakaran, Pinarayi asked the delegates to stop the attack.
Meanwhile, the report presented by party district secretary R Nasar is learnt to have admitted to factionalism ruling the roost in Alappuzha. The report states that factionalism was dominant during election campaigns in Alappuzha, Ambalappuzha, Kayamkulam, Cherthala and Kuttanad constituencies, sources said.
It is learnt that the election of district committee members and district secretariat members were held as per the strict instructions of the state leadership. Nasar got one more stint as the district secretary. D Lakshmanan, B Rajendran and Viswabhara Panicker were exempted from the district committee, and Cheriyan too was avoided in it as he is a state committee member. Six vacancies arose out of this and the demise of two members were filled with new faces. The district conference was originally scheduled for January 28, 29 and 30 but was postponed to February 15 and 16.
