The latest row is over a letter VS wrote to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy supporting the demand of K. K. Rema, wife of the slain Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader, T. P. Chandrashekharan, for a CBI inquiry into the ‘high-level- conspiracy behind TP’s killing, and condemning the Government’s approach to the fast she had launched.

The timing of the ‘letter bomb’s explosion’ was impeccable. The letter, shot off in the morning of Friday, the day Rema ended her fast, overshadowed other developments and became the hot topic of discussion. A stunned state CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan initially tried to explain it away, saying that it could be the handiwork of the expelled members of VS’s personal staff. However, Achuthanandan cleared the confusion later confirming the dispatch of the letter to the CM. It is widely believed the despatch of the letter was VS way of settling scores with the state leaders for their strict ban on him from visiting Rema during her fast.

Both Vijayan and CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat have disapproved of VS’s action. The letter was ‘not in conformity with the party’s stand on the issue’, said a press release issued by the central leadership of the CPI(M). That the issue would be discussed in the CC and PB meeting slated for the first week of March has become clear.

The Congress has lost no time in exploiting the VS letter. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, who released the letter at a press conference, said the letter has been forwarded for appropriate action. The party and the HM have not made secret of their joy at having accessed a ‘potent weapon’ to harass the CPI(M).

Although it is unhappy over the development, the central leadership has made it clear that there will be no drastic action against VS, obviously, in view of the proximity of the Parliamentary polls. The State CPI(M) leaders want immediate action; they argue there will be no impact on the party’s prospects even if the party takes deterrent action against Achuthanandan. What Vijayan and company are aiming at is either removal of VS as leader of the Opposition or his expulsion from the Central Committee. But the central leaders do not want to precipitate matters until after the Lok Sabha elections.

But it is also evident that the post-LS poll scenario would see action against VS. The veteran also seems mentally prepared for it if the tenor and tone of his recent statements are any indication.

What are the options before VS in case the party takes drastic action against him? Opinion is divided on the course of action VS could embark upon. There is a school of thought which rules out any VS initiative to walk out of the party. This section believes that Achuthanandan would prefer expulsion to voluntary exit. Expulsion would give him the halo of a martyr. Informed sources say, a sizable section of the CPI(M) could follow VS whatever decision he takes.

The proponents of drastic action argue that this time around, the CPI(M) leadership has no option but to act against Achuthanandan. Any further delay to act would cause a complete loss of credibility. Therefore, there will be action after the LS elections, they point out.

The RMP leadership, of course, wants VS to leave the CPI(M) and guide them in the battle ahead. How long can VS endure the humiliation and insults being heaped on him by the state party leaders, they ask. If Achuthanandan decides to lead the RMP, it would unfold a paradigm shift in left politics in the state; and various factions broken away from the CPI(M) would gravitate towards the RMP , making it the fulcrum around which future left politics would operate, the leaders contend.

VS has, however, not revealed his mind on the issue. The veteran has been waging a virtual one-man battle to reform the party from inside. Given a choice, it seems he would wait for a logical conclusion of the legal battles Vijayan is waging on both Lavalin and TP murder cases. The calculation appears to be this: in case Vijayan loses the legal battle, there would be a change in the inner-party equations to the advantage of VS. That, VS supporters think, would be the time to strike.

Whatever the final denouement, one thing is clear: Achuthanandan would remain a popular leader, position or no position. CPI state secretary Pannian Ravindran once remarked: VS does not have to hold any official position. He will remain a phenomenally popular leader as he is always in the forefront of all struggles on issues affecting the poor and downtrodden. Are the State CPI(M) leaders listening? (IPA Service)