State leadership on alert: CPM Kollam district conference to begin today

KOLLAM: The CPM district conferences will begin today with the Kollam conference being the venue for the state conference. If there are outbursts, competition or extreme criticism in Kollam, it will spread to other district conferences as well. It will also affect the smooth running of the state conference. The state leadership is on alert to complete the Kollam district assembly in a disciplined manner.

Local infighting had escalated into public protests and competitions during some local and area conferences, embarrassing the entire party. An area secretary left the party. The Karunagappally area committee, which had conducted severe indiscipline activities including marching to the party office and locking the leaders in the conference hall, was dismissed by the state secretary to prevent such a trend from spreading elsewhere. The Kollam District Conference is being held without representatives from Karunagappally.

Polit Bureau member MA Baby will inaugurate the representative conference at 10 am today at the NS research centre in Dhavalakuzhi, Mayyanad. State Secretary MV Govindan will inaugurate the general meeting on the 12th. There is a possibility that severe criticism will be raised against the state and district leaderships and the government on issues including the heavy setback in the parliamentary elections.

VS faction had strong roots in the Kollam district. In 1995, in the state conference held in Kollam, 14 people had contested for the state committee against the CITU side. P Rajendran won that contest. In the 2012 district conference, VS supporters contested against the official panel and won. As Pinarayi became stronger in the party, the VS faction subdued to the leadership.

District Secretary will continue

S Sudevan, who has completed two terms as Kollam district secretary, is expected to be re-elected as secretary in this conference. Four members from Karunagapally may be removed from the current 46-member district committee. It is also possible to exclude some others to include newcomers.