(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) THE RAGING CASH for seat row haunting the Kerala unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI) the second largest constituent of the opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front has refused to die down despite disciplinary action against three top leaders.The party’s rank and file does not seem to be convinced by the action initiated against party legislature leader C Divakaran state executive member P Ramachandran Nair and Trivandrum district secretary Venjaramood Sasi by the state council on Saturday.
The action was based on the finding of a three-member panel constituted to probe the defeat of the party in Trivandrum Lok Sabha constituency that the seat was gifted to Bennet Abraham after receiving Rs18.7 million. The panel had held the three leaders mainly responsible for the alleged sale of the seat.
However a strong section of the party workers refuse to believe that the three alone are responsible for ‘trading’ the Trivandrum Lok Sabha seat. They think that the leadership was trying to absolve their responsibility by taking action against the three.
In fact a section of the party workers even hold the CPM responsible for fielding Bennet in the state capital. They believe that Bennet who was made a member of the Public Service Commission during the last term of the LDF government was thrust on the party by the CPM.
Party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan had justified the candidature of Bennet Abraham when the controversy figured during the campaign. They also did not find any fault with his candidature even after he was relegated to third place in the constituency.
Sasi who was removed from the post of the district secretary said Bennet was not among the list of candidates recommended by the district council. The district council had submitted a list of three persons-Benoy Viswam E Chandrashekharan Nair and C Divakaran.
Sasi who announced his decision to quit the CPI said that the name of Bennet was brought by none else than the party state secretary Panniyan Raveendran. He said there was a clear understanding at the top level of the party to give the seat to Bennet even before the seat allocation process.
He said he and the two others were made scapegoats to save the top leaders who are responsible for trading the seat. Ramchandran Nair who steered the campaign of the candidate as election committee secretary has also challenged the state council action.
He said he was a victim of the factionalism taking deep root in the CPI. Nair said that he will challenge the action at the party’s control commission.
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