The three-day State plenum of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) ended here on Friday with a massive rally after setting a stiff agenda for internal change before the party and its cadres.
Hundreds of party workers streamed into the rally venue well before the proceedings of the plenum concluded. Party State unit secretary Pinarayi Vijayan replied to the discussion on the resolution and organisational report presented to the plenum on its opening day.
Among those present were CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yetchury, S. Ramachandran Pillai and M.A. Baby. Polit Bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan chaired the meeting.
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Party central committee member and the Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan did not attend the concluding session of the plenum and left for Thiruvananthpuaram in the morning, taking some sheen off the valedictory session and the rally.
Although it was officially stated that he had left as he was running temperature, persons close to him said he was sore about an advertisement greeting the plenum, given by a controversial businessman, that appeared in the party organ on Friday.
Party Central committee member E.P. Jayarajan, who holds charge of party publications, said there was nothing unusual about the advertisement. The media, he said, was trying to see faults where none existed.
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Replying to reporters’ questions at the railway station here, Mr. Achuthanandan said the party paper should not have accepted such an advertisement from a controversial businessman who was jailed on murder charge. He wanted the party to inquire into the episode in detail.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference here on Friday, Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran said he was happy about the plenum setting new standards for the party leaders and workers.
He, however, pointed out that the publication of an advertisement in the front page of the party paper greeting the plenum by a controversial businessman of Palakkad was an anti-climax.