Karat invokes Castro to play down Jesus row

It is with this understanding that we look at the issue of Christ- he said.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Tuesday borrowed the words of Cuban leader Fidel Castro to defend the party stand that Jesus was revolutionary and there was nothing wrong in using his portrait at an exhibition to mark the party state conference here.

Addressing the conference,Karat,referring to current discussion on how the Marxist viewed Christ,said the criticism of the Catholic Church is this regard was motivated and unwarranted. I would like to draw the attention of the Church to what Castro had told priests in a meeting in 1971 that there were 10,000 times more coincidences between Christianity and Communism than between Christianity and capitalism. It is with this understanding that we look at the issue of Christ, he said.

The CPM does not believe in combating any religion. It is out to fight communalism. Kerala should not become a ground for caste and communal forces.

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Meanwhile,the organisational report presented by party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan turned to be a virtual chargesheet against Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan. The report said Achuthanandan has become an incorrigible leader despite several attempts to correct him. The assurance that he would remain loyal to the party given at the previous state conference in 2008 was thrown to the wind.

The detailed report highlighted his rebellious stand adopted on all issues in which the party confronted with the senior leader. It specifically stated that Achuthanandan had tried to tarnish Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin case by joining hands with party enemies.

Sources in the Achuthanandan camp feared that the chargesheet was intended to unseat him from the post of Opposition leader.