New Delhi, Sunday 5 July 2009: Politburo member Sitaram Yechury, after the special PB meet to discuss the issues in Kerala, said that the final decision in this regard would be taken at the special central committee meeting which is scheduled to be held on July 11 and 12. He said that the central committee has been given the responsibility to arrive at a decision on the matters discussed in the special PB.

‘The Politburo has discussed the organisational issue related to party’s Kerala unit. The Politburo decided to convene a meeting of the Central Committee on July 11 and 12 to consider the proposals of the Politburo regarding the party affairs in Kerala,’ Yechury told reporters.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the PB had failed to arrive at a consensus on the Lavalin issue. It is also learnt that the central committee meeting had been convened to discuss the strong disciplinary action which was arrived at in the crucial two-day PB meet here on Sunday. Other than Yechuri no other leaders were willing to disclose any details. Yechuri read out a prepared statement.

The PB meet had discussed only two issues. One is the Lavalin issue and the other issues brewing in the state unit. The discussion on Lavalin concluded on Saturday. It is for the first time that Lavalin is being taken up for a detailed discussion in the PB. Even if PB takes any stand, the final decision will be as per the direction of Prakash Karat.

On Saturday it was reported that chief minister V S Achuthanandan has made a demand before PB to remove Pinarayi Vijayan from the post of state secretary till his innocence is proved in the court in Lavalin case. Strengthening his demand VS reiterated that the continuation of Pinarayi will pose a major setback to the image of the party and he also said that PB had never discussed the matter with due importance.

On the contrary Pinarayi who said that Lavalin was politically motivated, accused that VS was not ready to make modification in his statements even after repeated instructions from the party. Meanwhile Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who spoke after VS and Pinarayi stated about common things. The PB meet has been progressing which was convened to discuss the factional fight in the state unit. Now the members from the other states will spoke. The central committee is striving to form consensus between both factions. The party is of the belief that two factions will be abiding any kind of decision taken by the PB.

The Polit Buro met to find an end to the ‘disunity’ in its Kerala unit with the two top state leaders — V S Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan — sticking to their stand. Achuthanandan and Vijayan are understood to have presented their case in the meeting at AKG Bhavan, the CPI(M) headquarters, here on the first day. Sources said they have stuck to their position. The two-day meeting is being attended by CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, S Ramachandran Pillai and Biman Bose, besides Achuthanandan and Vijayan among others.

The extraordinary meeting comes in the backdrop of intense factional fight in its Kerala unit where the Chief Minister and Vijayan are on a war path. Both Achuthanandan and Vijayan have earlier demanded the removal of each other. ‘We are meeting for two days. I cannot predict the outcome of the meeting,’ Polit Buro member M K Pandhe told reporters when asked whether the party was contemplating action against the leaders in Kerala.

He also said all issues regarding Kerala, including SNC Lavalin graft case in which Vijayan is facing prosecution, will be discussed in the meeting. Both the Kerala factions have submitted complaints accusing each other before the Polit Buro which is understood to have been deliberating on it.

‘The situation in Kerala unit is very grave. We will clear all the mess,’ said a senior CPI-M leader on condition of anonymity.

‘We are facing certain organisational problems in Kerala. The politburo will deliberate upon it in detail. I cannot say anything more,’ politburo member S. Ramachandran Pillai told.

‘We are meeting for two days. I cannot predict the outcome of the meeting,’ Polit Buro member M K Pandhe told reporters ahead of the meeting. He was asked whether the party was contemplating action against any leaders in Kerala.

Achuthanandan is believed to have been in favour of prosecuting Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin scam.

Meanwhile, the dominant faction in the Kerala unit led by state secretary Vijayan is on the verge of a split, with group leaders lobbying against another politburo member and state Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Though Balakrishnan is in the Vijayan faction, he has adopted a moderate approach on the controversies that shook the party recently and the rivalry between Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and Vijayan.

The move against Balakrishnan has been strengthened in the wake of the politburo to discuss ‘disunity’ in the party’s state unit, said a well placed source, who is active in the Vijayan camp.

‘A malicious propaganda is being carried out against Balakrishnan and his family by the staunch supporters of Vijayan in the party. The move is aimed at spoiling Balakrishnan’s chances of becoming chief minister or party state secretary if there is a change of guard in the near future,’ a well placed source close to Balakrishnan told.

At the same time, the Achuthanandan camp has begun efforts to earn the support of Balakrishnan before the politburo meeting starts, sources say. Apart from Vijayan, Achuthanandan and Balakrishnan, Ramachandran Pillai is the other politburo member from the state.

Achuthanandan believes if he gets the backing of Balakrishnan, he can get Vijayan removed from the state secretary’s post, the sources say. In return, he will support Balakrishnan for the post of party state secretary, they say.

The central leadership of the party has been in a piquant situation on the party’s Kerala affairs. The party was forced to suspend both Vijayan and Achuthanandan two years ago when they indulged in a public spat. The party withdrew the suspensions after a few months.

After the Central Committee meeting in June, Karat had said the high decision-making body had decided that the wrangling must be settled soon. This is the second time in past five years that the Polit Bureau is meeting to exclusively discuss Kerala issues. The first such meeting was held on February 13, 2005 in Kolkata.

The Kolkata meeting had come prior to Malappuram state conference of the party when factionalism was at the peak. The Polit Buro had then asked the factions led by Achuthanandan and Vijayan to bury the hatchet and work unitedly. But two years later, both the leaders were suspended from the Polit Buro for taking their fight out in the public domain. Their suspension was later revoked.