Stage set for CPM state conference in Thrissur

THIRUVANANTHAPRUAM: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury will inaugurate the four-day CPM state conference beginning in Thrissur on February 22. The delegate session will be attended by 566 delegates and 16 observers representing the party units across all 14 districts. Apart from party general secretary, the conference will be attended by politburo members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, S. Ramachandran Pillai, A.K. Padmanabhan and M.A. Baby. 

Ahead of the inauguration of delegate session on February 22 , Veteran leader V.S. Achuthanandan will hoist the flag at the conference venue which is named after late V.V. Dakshinamoorthy. The reception committee chairman Baby John will hoist the flag at the public meeting venue at 6 pm on February 21.  The torch light rallies from the memorials of 577 martyrs will arrive at the conference venue the same day. Chief minister Pinarayi Viayan will light the lamp at the venue.

The programmes and arrangements for the state conference were finalized at the recent state committee meeting presided over by central committee member E P Jayarajan. The CPM is going into the conference as a united party. The last state conference in Alappuzha in 2015 had witnessed serious differences between the state leadership and Achuthanandan. On the eve of the conference, the then state secretary Pinarayi Vijyan had read out a resolution prepared by state Secretariat of the party which was actually a chargesheet against Achuthanandan.

The resolution went to the extent of terming VS as someone “working with anti party mindset”. The accusation had led to serious crisis with Mr Achuthanandan walking out of the conference on the penultimate day. Despite repeated appeals from Mr Karat, the veteran remained at his Cantonment House residence and even boycotted the concluding day public meet much to the embarrassment of the central and state leadership.