THIS IS NOT MARXISM

PERHAPS, the CPM in Kerala is going through its darkest phase.
VS Achuthanandan, the common man’s quintessential leader and long-time chief ministerial candidate, has been given the boot by the party politburo. To say the least, the decision to deny him a seat in the Assembly polls is shocking. The party should have faced the polls by projecting VS, as he is fondly called, as the CM candidate. The party may argue in a cadre-based party like CPM, it is party ideology that does matter. But here the ideology has been sent for a toss. The 80-plus leader is considered as the most sincere leader of the CPM in Kerala now. People, across party and caste affiliations, admire VS. He is a man known for his stern (if this is hardline, then let it be) stands: he was against forging an alliance with old warhorse K Karunakaran; he was against including the Muslim League; he was against incorporating R Balakrishna Pillai into the LDF foray. He basically stood with the common man. And he was omnipresent: he travelled through the breadth and length of Kerala for cementing the party.(All the THREE elements can be put into one basket called opportunists to the core and no character of their own). He is definitely not a hardliner as Express wanted the rest of India to believe. Express, known for its courage of journalism, is 'manufacturing images' against a grassroot leader. He remains the party’s most sincere leader. By this move, the CPM has dug its own grave in the coming elections, which could have been a cakewalk for the Left. Keeping VS away from the poll scenario will be disastrous. There have been unprecedented violence and protests across Kerala since Thursday against the politburo decision. The "reformist" (Pinarayi a reformist....it is a joke; what does he reform?) Pinarayi Vijayan, the man behind the ouster of VS, may be laughing. But at what cost? Paloli, the party’s chief ministerial candidate, is a nice man, though. But he will be remote-controlled by Pinarayi. And that is what he wants. But not the Keralites. They may opt Chandy again. That will be suicidal for CPM.