Thaindian News

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 6 (IANS) On the eve of the state party conferences of the two Communist parties in Kerala, top leaders of both the Left parties engaged in a war of words Monday.

While the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state conference begins here Tuesday, the Communist Party of India (CPI) is holding its state conference at Kollam from Wednesday.

The CPI is angry with the CPI-M for deciding to hold its state conference at the same time as its own.

CPI state secretary C.K. Chandrappan lashed out at the CPI-M, terming as a “cheap act” the party putting up the pictures of US President Barack Obama and top Congress leaders in a picture of the ‘Last Supper’.

“It was a needless act and one fails to understand why this happened. It was a cheap act and one that should have been avoided,” Chandrappan told reporters here.

However, the CPI-M top brass has claimed that it was not done by them and they had removed the picture as soon as they learnt it was put up as a hoarding as part of their state conference.

Chandrappan also criticised the “grand manner” in which the CPI-M is holding its conference and said it was being done by an event management company.

Former minister and top CPI-M leader M. Vijaykumar termed Chandrappan’s statement as nothing but abusing them and denied the party had appointed an event management company.

“It is absurd and we are shocked at hearing him speak things which even our worst adversary the Congress party would not say… This is a suicidal act by him. What should be noted is that he has attacked us and not spoken a word about the Congress,” said a peeved Vijaykumar.

CPI-M central committee member and top leader M.A. Baby termed the CPI’s utterances as most unfortunate.