VS defiant, refuses to back Vijayan

Does not inaugurate Vijayan’s state-wide yatra.

Outside New Delhi’s Kerala House, vinyl posters screamed “fight against corruption, comrade VS”. Inside, Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan openly defied the CPI(M) line and refused to dub the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case against his rival and party’s state general secretary, Pinarai Vijayan, as “politically motivated”.

“The Kerala High Court ordered the probe (against Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin case). It has monitored the case closely. If I say that the case is politically motivated, it amounts to challenging the court. I can’t do that sitting in an administrative position,” Achuthanandan said today.

As Achuthanandan hardened his position against his bête noire, the CPI(M) is expected to face a deeper crisis in its Kerala unit ahead of the coming Lok Sabha polls.

The central leadership of the party has been trying hard to maintain a balance between the two rival factions while throwing its full weight behind Vijayan in this particular issue.

The top leadership also failed to make Achuthanandan inaugurate Vijayan’s “Nav Kerala Yatra” that took off today. While Vijayan started his much-hyped campaign rally, Achuthanandan told reporters in New Delhi, “I have already informed the Politburo about my stand on attending the yatra.” This is yet another signal that Achuthanandan will not buckle under party General Secretary Prakash Karat’s pressure. The central leaders, even top leaders from West Bengal and Tripura, had called up Achuthanandan to persuade him to join the yatra.

Significantly, Achuthanandan didn’t rule out his resignation from the chief minister’s post if the party continued to support Vijayan. When asked if he would resign, he said, “As and when it happens, you will know.”

Vijayan is the first Politburo member of the party to face major corruption charges after the CBI said it intended to prosecute him in the SNC Lavalin case. Vijayan was the state’s power minister when the Kerala electricity board signed a deal with Canadian firm SNC Lavalin Inc for renovating three hydel projects. The probe was initiated when a CAG report slammed the deal and observed that the renovation didn’t increase the output of these dams.

Achuthanandan was in the capital to finalise the state’s 2009-2010 annual Plan. After his meeting with the Planning Commission, the seniormost Politburo member of the party (Jyoti Basu is currently a special invitee to the Politburo) went to meet Karat to discuss the current situation in the state.

Karat has refused to convene a special Politburo meeting as demanded by Achuthanandan to discuss the charges against Vijayan. The Politburo is slated to meet on February 14 in New Delhi. Party sources suggest Achuthanandan is in no mood to let the issue fizzle out and may use the meeting to take a moral high ground on corruption.

Many rebel CPI(M) leaders are already in touch with him and want him to quit the CPI(M).