Top CPM leaders from across India will stay at Hycinth, located just 2 km from the party headquarters.
The ruling CPM of Kerala -- its leaders known for championing austerity -- has rented space at a 5-Star hotel for its first ever Central Committee meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, which begins on Friday. Under attack from the opposition UDF, Politburo members sound defensive, saying it is turning out to be cheaper than the other options.
The top CPM leaders from across India -- including Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury -- will stay at Hycinth, located just 2 km from the AKG Centre, the party headquarters.
Hotel insiders say around 50 of Hycinth's 100 rooms and suites have been booked by the CPM. The tariff ranges between Rs 7,000 and Rs 15,000.
"We managed to get good discounts. Making arrangement for all Central leaders at different locations, providing for their security, transport and food would have turned out more costly," a politburo member told NDTV.
The party has been offered rooms for around Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000, with free food and banquet facility as part of their package. For the three-day event, the cost came to around Rs 3 lakh, said party sources. The hotel authorities, however, claimed they have not made any special concessions for the party or the CPM Kerala government.
Even in the recent past, CPM leaders have slammed extravagant living and weddings and reiterated their faith in a "simple lifestyle".
Asked about the dichotomy, a central leader said, "I don't think it's against the party image. It must be seen in terms of logistics, discounts. Costs may have been gone much higher if it were somewhere else".
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala took a dig at the CPM. "What they are doing is in complete contrast to the image they have, or at least portrayed in the past. They are leaving what they have stood for," he said.