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CPI gains from Big Brother’s crises (Subheading) Kerala LDF to meet on Sept 1
The crises the Kerala CPI(M) has been facing in the form of escalated divisionist war within it and allegations of involvement in brutal political murders have turned out to be a blessing in disguise for its LDF ally CPI, enabling it to expand its base in the grassroots even as the LDF is scheduled to meet on September 1 after several months.
In the past five months, the worst period in recent history as far as the CPI(M) is concerned, the CPI has been able to constitute 36 new branch committees of the party in Kerala. Middle-level leaders of the CPI proudly admit that this became possible because of their ability to attract disillusioned workers and sympathizers of the CPI(M).
Most of the new CPI branch committees are in southern Kerala. Of the 36 new branch committees the party has formed, 16 are in Alappuzha, the native district of CPI(M)’s octogenarian central committee member VS Achuthanandan, whose battle against the alleged right wing deviation of the official leadership has spelt huge trouble for the Marxists.
CPI leaders have been able to attract more CPI(M)-deserters to their side in the southern districts like Alappuzha than in the northern districts where the charges of its involvement in murderous politics had tarnished the Marxists’ image. “This is perhaps because the Marxists in the south are serious about ideological deviation,” said a district CPI leader in Alappuzha.
The State leadership of the CPI is of the feeling that the allegations leveled and cases registered against top CPI(M) leaders over the murders of rebel Marxist leader TP Chandrasekharan in May and Muslim League worker Abdul Shukoor in February and the war between Achuthanandan and State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had caused a flow of CPI(M) workers into the CPI.
The CPI was not in the habit of cashing in on the problems the big brother was facing since CK Chandrappan – who passed away on March 22 this year – became its State secretary in November, 2010. The CPI(M) leadership had several times warned the CPI against following the strategy of keeping its doors open to trap CPI(M)-deserters.
Pinarayi Vijayan and other leaders of the CPI(M) had stepped up their attacks against the CPI recently leading to an open war of words between the two parties after they were convinced that the CPI was trying to use to its advantage the political murder cases in which CPI(M) leaders were accused and the murder-mongering speech of Idukki Marxist leader MM Mani.
The war between the two parties had reached such a level that the CPI had even demanded the resignation of CPI(M) central committee member Vaikam Viswan as LDF convener after he described the CPI as a party of murderers. The heat and dust subsided somewhat after the intervention of the central leaderships of the two parties last week.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the seven-party Opposition LDF headed by the CPI(M) will meet in Thiruvananthapuram on September 1 after a gap of many months. The decision to convene the meeting was taken after the persistent complaints from the front constituents, especially the CPI and the RSP.
The LDF meeting would discuss the issues prevailing in the State and give shape to programmes of joint agitation over the “anti-people” policies of the Congress-led UDF Government like the alleged move to sabotage the Wetland and Paddy Land Conservation Act and the migration from statutory pension scheme to contributory pension plan for government employees.
The crises the Kerala CPI(M) has been facing in the form of escalated divisionist war within it and allegations of involvement in brutal political murders have turned out to be a blessing in disguise for its LDF ally CPI, enabling it to expand its base in the grassroots even as the LDF is scheduled to meet on September 1 after several months.
In the past five months, the worst period in recent history as far as the CPI(M) is concerned, the CPI has been able to constitute 36 new branch committees of the party in Kerala. Middle-level leaders of the CPI proudly admit that this became possible because of their ability to attract disillusioned workers and sympathizers of the CPI(M).
Most of the new CPI branch committees are in southern Kerala. Of the 36 new branch committees the party has formed, 16 are in Alappuzha, the native district of CPI(M)’s octogenarian central committee member VS Achuthanandan, whose battle against the alleged right wing deviation of the official leadership has spelt huge trouble for the Marxists.
CPI leaders have been able to attract more CPI(M)-deserters to their side in the southern districts like Alappuzha than in the northern districts where the charges of its involvement in murderous politics had tarnished the Marxists’ image. “This is perhaps because the Marxists in the south are serious about ideological deviation,” said a district CPI leader in Alappuzha.
The State leadership of the CPI is of the feeling that the allegations leveled and cases registered against top CPI(M) leaders over the murders of rebel Marxist leader TP Chandrasekharan in May and Muslim League worker Abdul Shukoor in February and the war between Achuthanandan and State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had caused a flow of CPI(M) workers into the CPI.
The CPI was not in the habit of cashing in on the problems the big brother was facing since CK Chandrappan – who passed away on March 22 this year – became its State secretary in November, 2010. The CPI(M) leadership had several times warned the CPI against following the strategy of keeping its doors open to trap CPI(M)-deserters.
Pinarayi Vijayan and other leaders of the CPI(M) had stepped up their attacks against the CPI recently leading to an open war of words between the two parties after they were convinced that the CPI was trying to use to its advantage the political murder cases in which CPI(M) leaders were accused and the murder-mongering speech of Idukki Marxist leader MM Mani.
The war between the two parties had reached such a level that the CPI had even demanded the resignation of CPI(M) central committee member Vaikam Viswan as LDF convener after he described the CPI as a party of murderers. The heat and dust subsided somewhat after the intervention of the central leaderships of the two parties last week.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the seven-party Opposition LDF headed by the CPI(M) will meet in Thiruvananthapuram on September 1 after a gap of many months. The decision to convene the meeting was taken after the persistent complaints from the front constituents, especially the CPI and the RSP.
The LDF meeting would discuss the issues prevailing in the State and give shape to programmes of joint agitation over the “anti-people” policies of the Congress-led UDF Government like the alleged move to sabotage the Wetland and Paddy Land Conservation Act and the migration from statutory pension scheme to contributory pension plan for government employees.
