The CPM state committee member T.K. Hamza has launched a frontal attack on Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan for writing the controversial letter to party general secretary Prakash Karat.

Addressing a rally of party workers here on Tuesday, Hamza said VS has the habit of ‘stabbing the party from the back’ whenever the party faced a crisis or an attack from its opponents.

“I don’t have any hesitation to speak openly about this tendency of VS,” he said and dared the state government to file a case against party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the Chandrasekharan murder case. In a lighter vein, he also said that if a similar case was filed against VS, a ‘nuisance’ would be over.

Hamza also alleged that the state government was trying to implicate CPM leaders of Kannur in the case, especially P. Jayarajan, E.P. Jayarajan and M.V. Jayarajan.

The anti-VS tirade of Hamza, a loyalist of the official leadership of the party, is interpreted to be a retaliation to the appearance of pro-VS posters in many parts of Malappuram district.

Who leaked out the letter?

There’s no doubt that it was a grand leak. But who could have leaked out information that VS had shot off a letter to party general secretary Prakash Karat, is the big question.

Sources close to VS maintain that the veteran leader has taken the issue seriously and may write another letter asking the central leadership to find out the source of the leak.

VS feels that his letter was not only leaked but misquoted to prevent a proper discussion of the points raised in the letter, in the central committee of the party, sources said.

The source of the leak was Delhi, reports say. The needle of suspicion points to a politburo member, they added.

VS urged to give ‘bombard HQ’ call

Senior CPM leader V.S. Achuthanandan should be honest enough to give a call to the party cadres to unleash an onslaught against the ‘party headquarters’ itself, which has become a criminal entity, M.N. Ravunni, general convener of Porattam, a pro-Maoist outfit, has said.

“Ideological struggles in Communist parties are not undertaken by way of a proxy war, and the people of Kerala expects VS to lead the struggle against the entire structure of the CPM, which has become the anti-thesis of Communist ideals and vision,” he said in a statement.

Limiting the criticism to individuals like Pinarayi Vijayan would not help in exposing the rampant corruption and criminalisation of the party. “These are only symptoms of the basic deviation of the party from the principles of Marxism,” he said.

Ideological struggles erupted in Communist parties when the leadership deviated from the basic tenets of Marxism, and that “leads to slogans like ‘bombard the headquarters’,” he said.

“People supporting VS are expecting the veteran leader to give such a call. Otherwise, the action of VS will be reduced to a personal agenda without any ideological substance,” he said.

Available PB discusses ‘letter bomb’

The CPM available politburo held discussions here on Tuesday on how to deal with the ‘letter bomb’ sent by Kerala Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan, who has reportedly threatened to quit his post if the party’s state leadership was not recast.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said the party would take an “appropriate decision” on the matter at an “appropriate time.

” However, he maintained that the reports in the media on the content of the letter were “mere speculation.”

VS made the demand in the wake of the party’s alleged involvement in the murder of RMP leader T.P. Chandrashekharan.

CPM general secretary, Prakash Karat, and senior leaders Brinda Karat, S. Ramachandran Pillai and A.K. Padmanabhan were also present at the available PB meeting. The leaders, however, denied that they had held discussions on VS’ letter.

Sources in the party said Achuthanandan’s letter and the factional feud in Kerala would be the central agenda for the party’s Central Committee meeting on June 9 and 10, where Achuthanandan will also be present.