Achuthanandan writes to Kerala CM Vijayan on the removal of Susheela Bhatt

Thiruvananthapuram: After being kept away from the prized post of CM and lying low since the new LDF government was formed two months ago, V.S. Achuthanandan on Wednesday indirectly targeted Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by picking on a decision to remove a government counsel dealing with cases against land usurpers. “Yes, I have written a letter to the Chief Minister as government counsel Susheela Bhatt was removed from the post where she was doing a good job for long for the state government,” Achuthanandan told reporters here. [caption id=“attachment_2799820” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kerala Governor Justice (retd) P Sathasivam greeting newly sworn-in Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. File photo. PTI[/caption] Bhatt’s removal has come for heavy criticism from several quarters as she was fighting cases for the state government against big estate owners who have been identified as usurping government land. In another development, senior advocate M.K. Damodaran who on Tuesday said he will not take up the post of advisor to the Chief Minister, on Wednesday expressed his displeasure over a “conspiracy” regarding his appointment. “Even media, both print and TV, was also unfair to me, hence I will not speak a word,” Damodaran told media persons when asked why he did not take up the advisor’s post. Reacting to this, Achuthanandan, who does not enjoy the best of relations with Damodaran, said there is no reason to blame anyone. “I dismiss his statements with utmost contempt,” Achuthanandan told reporters. The clash between Vijayan and Achuthanandan is more than a decade old and there were times when it caused huge embarrassment to the party, and on one occasion both were booted out of the politburo. After a while, Vijayan was reinstated, but not Achuthanandan. In the recent assembly polls, Achuthanandan turned out to be the most popular campaigner and was instrumental in the CPI-M’s stunning victory. But he was left high and dry when it came to forming the government. Uncharacteristic of his style, Achuthanandan had so far been keeping mum and on Wednesday it was the first time that he opened up. His statements come at a time when the assembly on Tuesday amended a 1951 rule so as to enable him to take the post of chairman of the Administrative Reforms Committee, which the party and state cabinet have cleared, but he is yet to make up his mind about taking up the assignment.