The two-day Communist Party of India - Marxist politburo meeting, held at the party headquarters in Delhi, ended on Sunday. Politburo member and senior leader Sitaram Yechury, while briefing media persons, said that the party has called for a special central committee meeting on July 11 and 12 to discuss the factional split in the party's Kerala unit.However, sources said that the two-day meet has decided to take action against Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan.
Leaders from other state units are coming to VS's aid ahead of the party's crucial Central Committee meeting even as some ministers of his Cabinet have refused to work with him.
As V S Achuthanandan came under attack for his controversial remarks against the family of slain National Security Guard officer Sandeep Unnikrishnan, the United Democratic Front tried to raise the issue in the Kerala Assembly, but a discussion on it was put off for Wednesday as the Chief Minister was not present in the House. At the beginning of Zero Hour, Opposition leader Oommen Chandy sought to move an adjournment motion on the issue.
Faced with criticism for delay in showing respect to slain NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Sunday called on the soldier's family members here, but a depressed father of Sandeep declined to accept his condolences.
The guidelines, in tune with the state IT policy, was approved by the Cabinet, chief minister V S Achuthanandan told reporters.
Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, whose head may be on the chopping block, has decided to go hammer and tongs against his bitter rival in the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Pinarayi Vijayan. While answering questions on the party secretary's comment about the inclusion of a new nominee from the Janata Dal in to his cabinet, the Chief Minister said that it was not the party secretary (Vijayan) but the Left Democratic Front which is the ultimate decision maker.
It had been reported in a section of the media Madani and his wife had links with some extremist elements, who were shot dead by the army in Kashmir .It may be recalled that four youths from Kerala were killed I an encounter while they were trying to cross the border into Pakistan.
Ending weeks long suspense, Kerala Chief Minister and CPI-M politburo member V S Achuthanandan has taken part in the yatra taken out by party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.
While the Kerala chief minister has not yet shown any sign of accepting the party's line on the SNC Lavalin corruption case -- where Vijayan has been termed an accused by the CBI -- the politburo will try to maintain a balance between the two factions in a last-ditch effort.
The chief minister and the party secretary were at logger heads for the past several years and Pinarayi Vijayan has successfully emerged as the most powerful leader of the CPI-M in Kerala for the past few years cutting to size Achuthanandan who had in fact promoted Vijayan into the higher echelons of CPI-M power ladder.
Additional police force had been rushed to the Sabarimala hill shrine in Kerala in view of the heavy rush of pilgrims, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said.
'If it had not been (Major) Sandeep's house, not even a dog would have glanced that way.' This was how Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan heaped scorn on Monday on the family of NSG Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan slain in the Mumbai terror attack during commando operations, igniting a controversy after smarting under the snub from the father of the angry officer's when he went to Bangalore to offer his condolences.
Perhaps sensing mid-term polls, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has reinstated Kerala Chief Minister V S Achutanandhan and the party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the politburo
The government would request the Kerala high court chief justice to make available the services of a sitting judge for the purpose
Kuruvila submitted his resignation to Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan at the latter's residence in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday night.
Earlier this month, a fresh round of fratricidal firings started after an interview was carried by the party-controlled TV channel 'Kairali' with a businessman, said to be close to Vijayan, who Achuthanandan had called "a hated person."
Investigations are on to find out how a person who is not a regular police employee was entrusted with driving the pilot car in the motorcade.
The 84-year-old Marxist veteran also likened the party's action on Saturday to suspend him and state party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan to 'punishing children when they commit mistakes'.
Velikakathu Shankaran Achuthanandan, popularly known as 'Comrade VS,' heading the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front government, reached the Sabarimala hilltop on Sunday night after a three-hour-long walk along with thousands of pilgrims pouring into the shrine to have a 'darshan' of Lord Ayyappa during the peak pilgrimage season.
The police on Friday registered a case against Kerala Health Minister P K Sreemathi and seven others complying with a court directive with regard to the death of new-born babies at a government-run hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
In four years, the state has had to battle cyclones, two floods, and two epidemiological disasters. If people bring Pinarayi Vijayan back to power, he must have done something right, obsevers Aditi Phadnis.
A division bench of the Kerala high court on Tuesday quashed the Puthussery panchayat's order cancelling the licence given to PepsiCo India Holdings
In an attempt to check environmental pollution, Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday decided to ban the use of plastic bags, bottles and cups with thickness less than 50 microns.
The talks are scheduled to be in New Delhi on November 29.
The statement by the Communist Party of India man in the CPI(M)-led ministry has spurred widespread criticism against the V S Achuthanandan government.
Inspector General Vijayanand would be the new IG (Security) and DIG Padmakumar had been made the city police commissioner.
State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan's suspension will also continue.
The Non-Resident Keralite Affairs Department was also in touch with the Indian Embassy in Nigeria to find out about Murugan, Achuthanandan said while replying to a submssion.
CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat and Politburo members Sitaram Yechury, S Ramachandran Pillai and R Umanath are expected to attend the meeting on Saturday.
Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and state Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan were on Saturday suspended from the Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo over a war-of-words in public.
Achuthanandan will be done away within 24 hours, an anonymous caller informed a constable on duty at 0410 hours on Monday over phone, Police Commissioner Balramkumar Upadhaya said.
Addressing a press conference after a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, Water Resources Minister N K Preamchandran said the award did not do justice to the genuine interest of Kerala.
The government had received several proposals to provide better infrastructure facilities at Kochi, the state's comemrcial capital. Though the chief minister did not mention any particular project, Sky City and Metro railway proposals are among those pending before the government.
Achuthanandan said the government had not yet received any communication from the CBI informing their unwillingness to investigate the case.
Meanwhile, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have so far not been able to reach a consensus on issues concerning the Parambikkulam Aliyar Project.
A total of 11 special economic zones had been sanctioned in Kerala, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan informed the state assembly on Friday.
It was high time that the priests and religious scholars introspected on giving up obsolete and superstitious practices like the 'punyaham,' he said.
Kerala has not yet recieved any details of the package announced by Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss for prevention of diseases like chikungunya, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said on Tuesday.
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