CPI(M) veteran and Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan on Sunday clarified that he had not said anything against the party while reacting to a High Court order quashing the FIR against him in a land allotment case.
“Why such a doubt for you (media). I have not made any comments against the party leaders and the party,” Mr. Achuthanandan told reporters here during a brief interaction. “What I said was that the case was the result of a conspiracy between [Chief Minister] Oommen Chandy and [Industries Minister] P.K. Kunhalikutty,”Mr. Achuthanandan said.
While reacting to the court verdict, the leader had said the case was a conspiracy between Mr. Chandy and Mr. Kunhalikutty to remove him as the Leader of the Opposition and install someone else in that position.
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Mr. Achuthanandan’s remark had triggered a political debate in the State. CPI(M) State unit secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had reacted to the statement, saying that the post of the Leader of the Opposition was decided by the party. “Why Mr. Achuthanandan had said like that, you [media] should ask him,” he had said.
The court had, on December 6, quashed the FIR against Mr. Achuthanandan in the land allotment case but later, a larger Bench stayed the order. The case pertains to alleged violation of norms while allotting 2.33 acres of land to T.K. Soman, an ex-serviceman and Mr. Achuthanandan’s relative, in Kasaragod district while he was the Chief Minister.