Karat bid for Brinda RS seat irks allies

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Rajya Sabha members Shyam Benegal(from left) and Vijay Darda greet Congress MP Motilal Vohra on his birthday at Parliament House

Resentment continues to brew in the CPI(M) over the “top couple” and the way the “cadre-based party was being turned into a outfit controlled by the family”. The LDF partners in Kerala are upset over party general secretary Prakash Karat’s reported efforts to get his wife and politburo member Brinda Karat a nomination for Rajya Sabha from the state. A section in the party alleged that Mr Karat had been backing state secretary Pinyari Vijayan, who faces charges by the CBI for “conspiracy” in the `370-crore Lavlin scam for ensuring a RS berth for Ms Karat. The LDF leaders have reportedly conveyed their “displeasure” over the issue and want the berth to go to the partners and not the CPI(M).
Conveying its “displeasure” to the CPI(M) high command, some of the LDF leaders pointed out that they were promised a Rajya Sabha berth from the state. They felt that the move to get Ms Karat nominated from the state was “like going back on the promise”.
However, Mr Karat is backing the state secretary to pacify the allies and get Ms Karat a berth from the state. The CPI(M) now has four Rajya Sabha MPs from Kerala. Rajya Sabha elections are coming up in April 2012 and this is the time, Mr Vijayan is expected to “return the favour” by getting Ms Karat a Rajya Sabha seat.
It was alleged by some central committee members of the CPI(M) that Mr Karat had earlier tried to do the same from West Bengal, which had only one Rajya Sabha berth following the party’s historical electoral drubbing in the state. The seat, however, went to the party politburo member Sitaram Yechury.
There are nine Rajya Sabha members from Kerala, including four from the CPI(M), CPI (two) and Congress (three). From West Bengal, the CPI(M) has seven RS members, CPI (one) and Forward Bloc (one).