THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: These are difficult days for communist patriarch and former Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan, against whom the Vigilance Department has filed an FIR in a land assignment case. It is alleged that during the fag end of his tenure as chief minister, the Communist veteran illegally allotted a piece of government land to one of his relatives. Achuthanandan’s anti-corruption crusader image, built over his 70-year political career has taken a severe beating because of this controversy. Achuthanandan’s woes have been further aggravated with his loyalists facing total decimation in the recently concluded district level party conferences. The emergence of Achuthanandan’s erstwhile disciple Pinarayi Vijayan as the numero uno in the party, followed by the veteran’s followers shifting their loyalties to Vijayan, especially in citadels like Palakkad, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Idukki, Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram has left the patriarch battered and beleaguered.G Gopakumar, acclaimed political observer and former Head of Department of Political Science, University of Kerala, feels that Achuthanandan should have sought a graceful exit instead of waging a loosing battle. “I don’t think V S is left with any political future. His image is sagging, his appeal to the social constituency he had consciously built up over the decades is on the decline. Above all, his age is also not helping his case,” Gopakumar said. The political scientist further adds that Achuthanandan’s image as a champion of the marginalised and his larger than life image will not help him anymore since anti-neo liberal elements in the party have clearly gained a resolute sway in the party apparatus. CPI(M) has moderated its political line phenomenally for a futuristic appeal as it feels that public support tags only with an assiduously cultivated neoliberal plank. “Even CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karatt has made it clear that new socialism is the hope of the future and exhorted Communists to understand the importance of market in central planning,” says Gopakumar. Achuthanandan’s future looks bleak under present circumstances.The public washing of dirty linen between former minister P K Kunhalikutty who is also an accused in the Ice-cream Parlour Sex Case and his former aide Abdul Rauf had a major impact on the outcome of the last state Assembly polls. Later people witnessed an unholy nexus developing between Rauf and Achuthanandan, buttressing the charges against the latter that he will resort to any unethical ways to boost his fortunes.Controversial corporate middleman T G Nandakumar’s mysterious friendship with Achuthanandan was also embarrassing to his followers, amid a benign silence. The controversial appointment of Achuthanandan’s son V A Arunkumar as Director of the Institute of Human Resources Development coupled with setting up of a finishing school under him also raised many eyebrows. Achuthanandan’s ability to deliver as an administrator was also not up to the mark. During his tenure, the hyped Vizhinjam Port and Kochi Metro projects did not gain much steam.Instead of allowing the law to take its own course, Achuthanandan continued to claim that the Congress-led UDF government of Oommen Chandy was targeting him and his family for political reasons. In the present scenario when Achuthanandan has been demoted to the central committee, there stands very little chance of him being reinstated to the Politburo. Nevertheless, Achuthanandan remains the darling of the state media, while Vijayan continues to be the villain.S Suseelan, a former district secretariat member of the CPI(M) who also served as chairman of the Trivandrum Development Authority feels that the upcomimg party state conference would see Achuthanandan’s clout declining further. Leaders who were identified as strong ‘V S men’ like P K Gurudasan, S Sarma and K Chandran Pillai have already parted ways.
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