New Delhi, July 12 - Aiming to put an end to the squabbling in its Kerala unit, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Sunday removed Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan from the party politburo while firmly backing his arch rival, state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

The CPI-M Central Committee, ending its two-day meeting on the Kerala issue here, stated that Vijayan 'was not involved in any corrupt practice whatsoever' and also reiterated the party's resolve to fight the corruption case against him 'politically and legally'.

In an open admission of the rift in its Kerala unit, the Central Committee, the highest decision making body of the CPI-M, also said that the 'Kerala State Committee should unify the entire party' in the state.

The Central Committee chided Achuthanandan for violating party discipline in his demand that Vijayan be tried over the SNC Lavalin corruption case. It said the party had 'expected Comrade V.S. to fulfill his responsibilities as the chief minister and as a leader of the party'.

The Central Committee statement said: 'The Central Committee decided that in view of the violations of the organisational principle and discipline by Comrade V.S. Achuthanandan, he should be removed from the politburo. Comrade Achuthanandan is the senior most leader who has made a big contribution to the Party in Kerala. The Central Committee expected Comrade V.S. to fulfill his responsibilities as the chief minister and as a leader of the Party.