Newly elected Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State unit secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said that it is for veteran leader V.S. Achuthanandan to decide what role he should play as a party leader.
Replying to questions at a meet-the-press here on Wednesday, Mr. Balakrishnan said the party had not decided to remove Mr. Achuthanandan as Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly. “VS will continue to discharge all the duties and functions as Leader of the Opposition, and attack the government with even greater vigour,” he said.
On letter leak
The CPI(M) State secretary said the party had not arrived at the conclusion that Mr. Achuthanandan had leaked the letter he had written to the party State committee and the Polit Bureau. However, the letter had found its way to a newspaper. The Polit Bureau was looking into it. It would arrive at the appropriate conclusions. The party State secretariat had already made clear its stand on the issue. Inner party discussions were not meant to be aired in public. The party would not allow ‘glasnost’ which would destroy it, he said.
Mr. Balakrishnan said a Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee resolution seeking a detailed probe into the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder based on a letter written to the Chief Minister by Mr. Achuthanandan was meant only to keep the issue alive. The police had investigated all aspects of the case, but could not unearth anything new.
He demanded Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s resignation in the light of reports based on voice clips which showed ‘his involvement’ in the solar scam.
He also sought removal of Finance Minister K.M. Mani over the bar bribery charges so that the Minister would not get to present the budget when the Assembly met next month.
If the Chief Minister did not drop him, the Opposition would decide its strategy on the day of the budget, Mr. Balakrishnan said.
