Kerala: Achuta stays off controversy, campaigns for Vijayan

CPI(M) veteran V.S. Achuthanandan on Thursday campaigned for politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan, who is contesting the Kerala Assembly polls, but the nonagenarian steered clear of any controversial comments.

His campaigning here comes a day after Mr Vijayan, who is contesting from the Dharmadom constituency in Kannur district in the May 16 polls, had stated that the resolution passed by CPI(M) against Mr Achuthanandan “still exists”. Mr Vijayan had also said there was no need to link the resolution and Mr Achutanandan’s candidature to the polls. “The decision of the party and resolution remains and will not cease to exist unless it is amended or rejected,” Mr Vijayan had said when asked whether the resolution passed by party secretariat in 2015 that “Achuthanandan has anti-party mindset” still exists. However, Mr Achuthanandan skirted the issue and instead exhorted the large gathering to ensure that Vijayan was elected with an “impressive majority”.

“The LDF candidate at Dharmadom is Pinarayi Vijayan. You all should vote for him and ensure that he is elected with an impressive majority,” the Marxist veteran said.

Mr Vijayan, a bete noire of Mr Achuthanandan, was not present as he was campaigning elsewhere.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Mr Vijayan had claimed, a section in the media was “creating false reports” that he had termed Mr Achuthanandan as an “anti-party man.”

“We are facing the polls without any differences and nobody should think that they can create impediment on that,” Mr Vijayan had said.

Slamming the UDF, Mr Achuthanandan described the ruling Congress-led UDF manifesto as a “big joke”.

“I could not control laughing reading the UDF manifesto,” he said.