Ernakulam district Secretariat immobilised

KOCHI: The manoeuvrings by the VS faction to control the party seem to have backfired. The spying episode, which cost former Ernakulam district secretary Gopi Kottamurickal his post, has led to the suspension of the functioning of the party district secretariat where VS faction enjoys an upper hand. The state secretariat of the party has taken over its charge, sources in the party said.The VS faction suffered a serious blow after the official faction roped in Dinesh Mani for overseeing the functioning of district committee.During the last Assembly elections, the official faction had tried to replace Gopi Kottamurickal with Dinesh Mani a staunch supporter of Pinarayi. However, the VS group scuttled the move.The committee which has been constituted to look into the charges of loose character levelled against Kottamurickal will also inquire the act of the district secretariat members who spied on Kottamurickal for ditching the former district secretary.Some leaders from the Pinarayi faction had already aired their discomfort against the spying."The inquiry into the allegations levelled against Gopi Kottamurickal will be a comprehensive one. It will cover all the issues, including the spying. Trying to ditch a party leader is a crime equal to that of the allegation levelled against that leader.So, action will be taken against those who have conspired in this regard if they are proved guilty," a top leader of the party told Express.The official faction is training its guns on the district secretariat members K A Chackochan, P S Mohanan, T K Mohanan and V P Saseendran, who are believed to be the brain behind the spying episode.The act is believed to be a plot to pave the way for the VS faction to take control of the party in the district in the ensuing organisational polls.If the inquiry committee finds the involvement of these secretariat members in spying, strong action will be taken against them before the organisational polls. This will hit the VS faction hard in the polls. There are also moves to indict S Sarma, leader of the VS faction, in financial frauds related to the management of A P Varkey Mission Hospital, Arakkunnam in Kochi.