E M S memorial without VS: CPM stands exposed

Kottayam: It is good that the CPM is erecting a fitting memorial to E.M.S.Namboodiripad, the synonym of Communism in Kerala, in connection with the birth centenary of the great leader.

The EMS memorial is coming up at Elamkulam Mana at Perintalmanna in Malappuram district.

Various leaders were lined up for participation in the function, including general secretary Prakash Karat and state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. Prakash Karat has inaugurated the function and Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation stone for the memorial structure.

The prominent absentee was Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, who was a politburo member during the time of EMS. And EMS would not have liked the exclusion of Achuthanandan from such important functions, marking a milestone in the history of the Communist movement.

Group politics is one thing, and celebration of EMS birth centenary is a different matter altogether.

It would have been in the fitness of things if Chief Minister Achuthanandan was given a role there.

Finance Minister Thomas Isaac, Planning Board deputy chairman Prabhat Patnaik and all were speaking at the function. They were speaking at the seminar, all right.

It was not because a role could not be found for the Chief Minister, but because the organisers apparently wanted no presence of the Chief Minister deliberately that such an eventuality has come up.

Mind you, the people are watching. Not only comrades, but also the general public take interest in historical persuasions.

Everyone knows that Pinarayi Vijayan and V S Achuthanandan do not follow the same path in the party. They are far apart in convictions and actions. However, each one cannot complement his actions without the other, as far as party matters are concerned.

I feel Prakash Karat himself should have intervened and set right the short-coming. But Karat, these days, are keeping himself aloof from Kerala matters, it seems.

He is leaving everything to the deliberations being held at the politburo on June 19 and the central committee on 20-21.

The leave-it-alone attitude would not help to solve the problems. Kerala affairs need direct intervention and solution. Things cannot be left for the times to find a solution.