Spying episode likely to backfire on VS camp

KOCHI: Senior leaders of the VS faction in Ernakulam district are likely to bear the brunt of the spying episode that cost Gopi Kotttamurickal his job as the party’s district secretary.The official faction has already trained its gun on some of the senior leaders of the V S faction, whom they believe are behind the spying episode.Though it was district secretariat member K A Chackochan who had given the complaint against Kottamurickal in a pen drive, it is alleged that the whole episode could have been undertaken only with the knowledge of some of the top leaders of the VS faction, who are members of the state committee.The inquiry commission comprising Vaikom Viswom, A K Balan and M C Josephine will question not only Kottamurickal but also the complainant Chackochan, which the official faction thinks would corner the senior leaders from the district.The inquiry commission will look into how the visuals were shot within the CPM district office. They would also be looking into how such a camera, if any, was installed in the office room of the district secretariat.Josephine told Express that inquiries were not new to the party. The party had undertaken such inquires in the past also, she added. Josephine was reluctant to comment when asked if the inquiry would extend to others also .State committee member K Chandran Pillai, who is a known VS loyalist, said the party was well-equipped to deal with such issues. “All these are party’s internal issues and I have nothing to say,” he said.Meanwhile, senior leader M M Lawrence said that it was not a good trend to use spy camera if at all such a thing was used. On the inquiry commission, he said, “Let the findings of the inquiry commission come.Only after that can we find out if the allegations are true or not.” With the party elections due in a few months, both the VS and Pinarayi factions are training their guns on each other. It is also learnt that there is a move to remove the office secretaries, who had been in the post for a long period, which the official faction believes would given it an upper hand over the other.Kottamurickal was removed from Ernakulam district secretary’s post citing misconduct.