Achuthanandan skips public meeting

KOZHIKODE: Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan, who was not re-inducted into the Politburo, skipped the mammoth rally and public meeting held as part of the  closing ceremony of the party congress and left for Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. Immediately after the Party General Secretary Prakash Karat announced the names of the new Politburo (PB) members and PB Member S Ramachandran Pillai announced the names of the new central committee members, Achuthanandan came out of the Tagore Hall, the venue of the Party Congress by 1 pm.   Wading through the multitude of the party workers thronged at the main gate of the venue, he went to the Government Guest House. He informed the media that he was leaving for Thiruvananthapuram as he had to attend some urgent function.Before leaving, he said that he would continue to work for the party as in the past.Asked to comment on the new PB, he said the new PB was capable of leading the party in the right direction. By 3pm, he left for Nedumbasseri, from where he will travel to the capital by air.It is believed that VS was expressing his protest silently for his omission from the politburo by skipping the public meet. All the Central Committee members except Achuthanandan attended the public meeting held on Kozhikode Beach. There were 87 chairs arranged behind the seats of the politburo members.  Only the General Secretary and politburo members had been allowed to speak at the meeting. This decision also have reportedly irked VS to skip the meeting.Down But Not Out Though he was not re-inducted into the PB, VS can have a sigh of relief that he was retained in the highest policy making body, the CC.  When the factional feud reached its zenith, the central leadership booted him out of the PB in 2009. But, his  image as a  leader who championed the cause of the marginalised restrained the leadership from initiating more disciplinary action.