The inaugural session of the state conference at TK Ramakrishnan Nagar (Maman Mappila Memorial Hall) in Kottayam, central Kerala, was attended by over 500 delegates.
Cellphone jammers installed at Kerala meet to stop information leaks
NEW DELHI: His attempts to discipline warring comrades having failed, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat for the first time on Monday got mobile jammers installed at the venue of the party's 19th state conference to prevent rival factions from leaking the deliberations.
The inaugural session of the state conference at TK Ramakrishnan Nagar (Maman Mappila Memorial Hall) in Kottayam, central Kerala, was attended by over 500 delegates.
The media was kept away from the meet which debated functional and organisational reports submitted by state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. The delegates would hold discussions on the reports for the next two days.
Serious differences emerged as the secretary’s report indirectly accused bete noire chief minister VS Achuthanandan of taking “unilateral” decisions, not abiding by the guidelines set by the politburo and giving the impression that there is no coordination between the party and the government.
Karat who addressed the closed-door meeting at the outset warned fellow comrades of “dire consequences” if anyone leaked the deliberations, sources said. His 110-minute speech in English was translated by state education minister M Baby.
The party brass also put in place groups of red volunteers to keep a watch on members to prevent leakage of proceedings to mediapersons.
But much to the chagrin of party honchos, within a couple of hours, news regarding certain references to factionalism in the party was leaked to some local television channels.
Earlier, state conferences in Malappuram (2005) and Palakkad (2002) were marred by intense personal squabble between supporters of VS Achuthanandan (chief minister) and Pinarayi Vijayan (state secretary). At the outset, Karat told the delegates not to misuse the conference to settle personal scores. In the background of the factional feud between Achuthanandan and Vijayan factions, the general secretary during his speech underscored the need for "effectivce functioning" of the government and the party.
In an unprecedented move, both hardliner Achuthanandan and reformist Vijayan were suspended from the high-powered politburo in May last year for factional squabble. Their suspensions were revoked in October. And again, for the first time the politburo issued guidelines to conduct area and district committee elections in the run up to the state conference. Vijayan tried to take credit for the resounding victory of the party in 2006 assembly elections.
DF convener and CPI(M) state conference organising committee chairman Vaikom Viswan said the conference would indeed see the end of factionalism in the state party.
k_benedict@dnaindia.net
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