Bo Xilai was purged from his post in Chongqing. He was having a red rival and lobbying in public for a position on the standing committee.

My guess, is he was too public in his lobbying. His replacement has basicaly the same politics (graduate of Kim II Sung University in North Korea - translation very conversative). The memory of Mao and how he used public opinion with the cultural revolution is still too fresh in the leadership's mind. The leadership is very wary of popular opinion in China being used by anyone for political gain.

A purge in China - Washington Post

Insightful article...
A Bo-mb Drops in Beijing: The Experts’ Take - WSJ

Labels: China Politics, mao