M P Veerendrakumar, former state president of the Janata Dal - Secular, who quit the party following differences of opinion with the Communist party of India [ Images ] - Marxist over the allocation of Lok Sabha seats, has lashed out at his former ally.

Veerendrakumar, who is also the managing director of leading daily Mathrubhumi, stated that the CPI-M [ Images ] leadership has become pro-capitalism and alleged that the party was trying to promote five-star hotels.

It may be recalled that the Janata Dal-S has virtually split in the state with its two Members of Legislative Assembly, Mathew T Thomas and Jose Thettayil, supporting the Left Front while the remaining three MLAs are siding with Veerendrakumar.

The JD-S leader and his party were sidelined by the CPI-M top brass in the run-up to the elections, as the party leadership felt that Mathrubhumi was writing articles in support of Kerala [ Images ] Chief Minister Achuthanandan, during the fierce factional war within the party.

It is believed that the antagonistic stand taken by the Mathrubhumi, along with the anti-Left stance of Kerala's most popular daily Malayalam Manorama, is one of the major reasons for the drubbing of the CPI-M in the Lok Sabha election.