Angry supporters of Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan took to the streets in several districts across the state on Thursday to protest against the CPI(M)’s decision to deny him a ticket in the forthcoming Assembly polls.
But the scale and intensity of the protests was nowhere near the mass protests witnessed during 2006, when also the party had initially denied him a ticket. The CPI(M) had then reversed the decision heeding the public outrage.
As reports of protests started trickling in from across the state, the party bosses swung into action directing their district committees to counter any attempt by VS supporters to organise public protests in their areas.
The party also claimed that CPI(M) members had nothing to do with these protests.
It all started from Kasargod. Then the protests were reported from CPI(M) citadels which included Kayyur, Madikai, Punnapra and even in Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram rural, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Malappuram.
Mr Achuthanandan’s supporters also unleashed a poster war at many places criticising CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and party general secretary Prakash Karat.
Mr Vijayan’s cut outs were blackened and torn. Some posters were pasted even outside VP House in Delhi where most of the CPI(M) MPs stay. In Kasargod, black flags were hoisted in front of the houses of CPI(M) MP P. Karunkaran, and many other leaders.
Meanwhile, in Thrissur and many other parts of the state T-shirts with the picture of the veteran communist sold like hot cakes.
Even as demonstrations subsided in many parts, reports circulated among VS supporters that the party politburo would be meeting Delhi to discuss the issue.
This brought some cheer to the veteran’s followers.
However a top party source said that politburo members met on daily basis and there was nothing significant or new in that .