Kochi:
A day after creating a storm in the CPI(M)'s Kerala unit by lashing out at state party Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, veteran Marxist leader VS Achuthanandan on Sunday met his close associates in Kochi.
Mr Achuthanandan, who arrived in Aluva last night, refused to talk to the media, who kept a close watch on his movements to grab some statements from him. Disappointing the media, the former Chief Minister kept indoors most of the day and remained in the room at the Aluva Palace Guest House.
Former Member of Parliament K Chandran Pillai was among those he met.
Mr Achuthanandan cancelled his programmes which he was supposed to attend in Palakkad. He, however, attended a function at Narakkal.
Mr Achuthanandan also visited former state minister S Sharma who is recovering after a surgery.
Slamming Mr Vijayan for the second time in less than a week for dubbing party rebels like the recently murdered Revolutionary Marxist party leader TP Chandrasekharan as "betrayers and renegades", Mr Achuthanandan had said that Mr Vijayan's approach was as bad as the autocratic line adopted by late SA Dange when the Communist party split in 1964.
"I am one of those 30 odd people who came out of the national council of the undivided CPI in 1964, marking the culmination of our struggle against revisionist trends in the movement. We were then dubbed as class enemies and betrayers by Dange. But in due course our line has been proved right," Mr Achuthanandan had said.
"Those who are calling the rebels as betrayers and renegades now are adopting the same autocratic approach," he said.