The CPI(M) leadership did a balancing act to resolve the problems faced by the factionridden Kerala unit.

A politburo meeting on Wednesday, specially convened to discuss the issue, asked Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan not to object to Asian Development Bank (ADB) loans for the state, but also observed that two of his Cabinet colleagues had failed to maintain procedural norms while accepting the fund.

The politburo said before agreeing to accept the ADB money, the two cabinet ministers should have kept the chief minister informed.

Party partriarch Jyoti Basu reminded the Kerala chief minister that the 18th party Congress held in Delhi had allowed loans to be taken from international funding agencies, provided that there were no strings attached.

The politburo met on the sidelines of the ongoing cen tral committee meeting of the CPI(M) to discuss the Kerala issue where supporters of the chief minister and party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan are locked in a bitter ideological battle. The politburo instructed the Kerala unit of the party to meet for two days beginning January 8 to discuss and resolve the controversy over ADB loan.

Party general secretary Prakash Karat will attend the meeting.