THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Infighting in the local units continues in CPM despite state secretary MV Govindan saying that factionalism and group fights will not be tolerated and his intervention in person.

In the latest of these events, Mangalapuram area committee secretary Madhu Mullassery walked out of the committee meeting yesterday and announced that he was leaving the party. Madhu, who has been in the post for two terms, was angered when the district leadership proposed M Jaleel for the post of area secretary. Some of the conference representatives had criticized Madhu's style of functioning the other day at the area conference. The Mangalapuram local conference had to be postponed earlier due to sectarian activities.

Madhu announced that he was quitting the party and walked out as the district leadership stuck to its stand that a new area secretary was required. Jaleel was selected as the area secretary. Later, Madhu even criticized the state secretary in the channel discussion. Madhu said that the days when people used to be afraid if the secretary rolled his eyes are over.

Meanwhile, Thiruvalla Town North local committee secretary Kochumon was removed from the post with immediate effect. State Secretary MV Govindan visited the district committee office yesterday and held a meeting and decided on the course of action.

The leak of the committee's report that two area committee members had worked to defeat Thomas Isaac, who was the candidate in Pathanamthitta in the parliamentary elections, had led to infighting.

Area committee member Jano Mathew has been given the charge of local secretary. It was also decided to hold the conference, which was postponed twice, on the 9th of this month.

There were two factions at the Kodumon area conference also. R.R. Rajeev Kumar, who was nominated by district secretary Udayabhanu, became the secretary through voting. At the Ottapalam area conference, a section questioned the stand of the Palakkad district secretary and the candidature of politburo member A Vijayaraghavan in the last Lok Sabha elections, creating issues.

Venugopal meets G Sudhakaran

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal met Sudhakaran at his residence yesterday and BJP state president K Surendran invited him to the party. This has created rumours as there was a controversy over former minister G Sudhakaran not attending even the public meeting of the Ambalappuzha area conference.

EP accuses of US links

Party central committee member EP Jayarajan said that those who were trained in a postmodern course from an American university have been sent down to destroy the communist parties in India and the CPM in Kerala. At the Pappinissery area conference in Kannur, the EP warned that their interventions by paying money and influencing the media is why voices are being raised against the leaders in the party and that the cadres should be cautious.