New Delhi: Amid speculation over Kerala
Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan getting the nod of his party
to contest coming assembly polls in the state, CPI on Saturday
described him as "one of the best" CMs and expressed the hope
that CPI(M) will take an "appropriate decision" on the issue.
"We feel that he has done a very good service and he is
an asset for the Kerala LDF. He is the leader of the LDF. We
respect him a lot. And his party, we are sure, will take an
appropriate action," CPI Deputy General Secretary S Sudhakar
Reddy told reporters when asked about the suspense on
Achuthanandan`s candidature.
CPI(M) is likely to take a decision next week on whether
Achuthanandan should be fielded for the Assembly polls to lead
the ruling LDF once again.
Observing that CPI believed that Achuthanandan was
"one of the best Chief Ministers", he said "whether he should
contest elections or not is to be decided by his party."
Asked whether any tainted candidate was being fielded by
the Left this time, he said "generally, there should not be.
In the LDF, we try to put cleaner and naturally better
candidates."
To a question on CPI(M) fielding its Kerala state
secretary Pinarayi Vijayan who faces a CBI probe into the
the SNC-Lavlin case, Reddy said "it is for that party to
decide. We are not the people to decide whether he should
contest or not. It is CPI(M) which has to decide.
The CPI leader said his party would not field anyone who
has been chargesheeted on corruption charges. "We don`t have
any such case in our party. Chargesheet is different from
punishment. We don`t have any candidate who has got a
chargesheet".
He said allegations are different from proven cases and
CPI was sure that Left parties would take all this into
consideration when they go for the elections.
Welcoming reports that former CPI(M) leader K R Gowri,
whose party Janadhipatya Samrakshana Samithi is currently with
Congress-led UDF, is considering switching over to LDF, Reddy
said "Gowri Amma is a respected leader of Kerala and she
continues to have Left leanings. She will be an asset if she
comes back."
He, however, said taking JSS as an ally of LDF could be
discussed only after she snaps her alliance with UDF. Prior to
the formation of JSS in 1990s, Gowri Amma was a prominent
leader of CPI (M) in Kerala.
Reddy appealed to the people of Kerala to re-elect the
LDF Government.
PTI
