By Ashraf Padanna/Thiruvananthapuram
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will lead the Communist Party of India (Marxist) as its secretary in Kerala, one of the party’s two last bastions.
The party’s 21st state conference that concluded in the backwaters town of Alappuzha yesterday elected of without a whimper of protest.
Balakrishnan, 61, the media-friendly former home minister of the state, said his priority would be to strengthen the party and he had “no other considerations.”
He is a member of the politburo, the highest decision-making body of CPM, India’s biggest communist party.
Balakrishnan praised his predecessor Pinarayi Vijayan, who stepped down after 16 years, as a “superior” communist who did not waver under the attack of “enemies”.
Unlike his predecessors, Balakrishnan welcomed criticism from the media saying he did not believe leaders were beyond criticism and it would in turn help him do his duties better.
V S Achuthanandan, the 92-year-old former chief minister who is now the leader of opposition in the state assembly, boycotted the conference as he came under heavy criticism for adopting a “low-level anti-party attitude.”
The new secretary said he would try his level best to reach out to the people and “lead the struggle” against the Congress Party-led government in the state which faces elections in 14 months.
Balakrishnan has been leading the opposition attack in the assembly as Achuthanandan’s deputy.
It was not immediately known if Vijayan, touted as the Left Front’s chief ministerial candidate, would opt for a by-election or wait for the next year’s elections to replace the veteran.
Balakrishnan criticised Achuthanandan, who was kept out of the newly-elected state committee, for “diminishing the glow” of the conference by his boycott.
“General Secretary (Prakash Karat) had called him to come back to the conference. But he didn’t relent,” Balakrishnan told reporters later.
“V S (Achuthanandan) had led us as the secretary for 11 years, a member of the politburo for 24 years, leader of the opposition for 15 years and as the chief minister for five years. This is not the example that he had set for us then.
“If he had any grouse, he should come here and explain to delegates instead of going to the media. Other things are before the politburo.”
Balakrishnan said veteran leaders Paloli Mohamed Kutty, K N Raveendranath and M M Lawrence would be permanent invitees in the committee while Achuthanandan could attend the meetings as a member of the Central Committee.
Balakrishnan is seen with Congress MP Shahshi Tharoor at an event.
