Comrades, No more tea breaks. This is not a command from a harried employer but the order of the CPM central leadership, which is having problems to contain growing factionalism in the Kerala unit.
The ‘special guidelines’ for the Kottayam State Conference in February have many interesting dos and don’ts for the delegates. Lengthy tea breaks give enough room for the comrades to recoup and play group politics so there is no need of such welcome breaks, the 30-page guideline says, citing some of the bad precedents of the last Malappuram conference. All 12 supporters of VS Achuthanandan who contested for the state secretariat, bit dust here.
In the last meeting, most of the tea breaks lasted over 45 minutes to an hour, giving enough time for delegates to talk on faction lines. So this time, if at all one needs the drink, it will be served in full view. No secret parleys during the nerve-wracking session, says the guidelines.
Besides tea breaks, cell phones have also been banned.
{{/usCountry}}Besides tea breaks, cell phones have also been banned.
{{/usCountry}}General secretary Prakash Karat had recently said the central leadership could intervene, if necessary, to enforce discipline in the faction-ridden unit.