The Communist Marxist Party seems to be heading for a split after a section of the party decided to make K R Aravindakshan interim General Secretary.

The decision, which was taken because of ill health of M V Raghavan, General Secretary, has however not gone well with other sections of the party.

The politburo meeting, which was convened in the absence of M V Raghavan and  CP John,  also decided to suspend  C A Ajeer, a loyalist of M V Raghavan. Other influential members of the party, who criticised the move, said that K R Aravindakshan was looking to take the party back to the CPM and reiterated that M V Raghavan would continue as General Secretary.

Reacting to the development, CP John said in Thiruvananthapuram that it was condemnable that some people in the party were selecting a General Secretary of the party without the sanction of the party. He also said that it was inhuman to change a leader who is in his sick bed.

Earlier, the central council of the party, after a politburo meeting, had informed that temporary responsibility as General Secretary was being given to Aravindakshan, one of the secretaries of the party. However, CP John opposed the move then, giving rise to dissidence within the party.

Dissidence has been brewing in the party for some time after Aravindakshan put pressure on the leadership to rejoin the CPM. However, M V Raghavan had vetoed that suggestion and after he fell sick, discussions in this regard could not proceed.

The party was formed in 1986 and M V Raghavan has been General Secretary since then.