CPM, CPI continue fight over deputy Opposition leader post through party mouthpieces

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The dispute between the CPM and CPI over the post of deputy Opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly has now moved to the parties’ official publications, with neither side showing any sign of backing down. The exchange comes after public statements by senior leaders and criticism from young leaders on social media.

The latest development came after an article written by CPI assistant secretary Sathyan Mokeri in Janayugom was criticised by CPM state secretariat member C.N. Mohanan in an article published in Deshabhimani on Saturday.

Mohanan’s article said the posts of Opposition leader and deputy Opposition leader have been held by the CPM since the formation of the front system. It questioned whether Sathyan Mokeri and the CPI meant that joint functioning within the front could not be expected if the deputy Opposition leader’s post was not given to the CPI.

The article also questioned whether the CPI believed it had grown politically despite the electoral setback, given that the CPM has 26 seats while the CPI has eight. It further asked whether the CPI believed it was growing into a political force capable of overtaking the CPM in Kerala.

LDF convenor T.P. Ramakrishnan has called for restraint in public statements on the issue. Bilateral discussions between the two parties will continue. If the CPI’s demand is not accepted, its state secretariat will discuss whether to take a stronger stand at its meeting on September 10. The CPM state secretariat, which is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, is also likely to discuss the issue.

The CPM remains firm that it cannot give up the deputy Opposition leader’s post. The possibility of the issue raised by the Muslim League inviting the CPI to join the UDF is also expected to come up for discussion.

Muslim League seeks to woo CPI

Meanwhile, Indian Union Muslim League national vice-president K.P.A. Majeed has criticised the CPM’s “big brother” attitude while praising the CPI. He expressed his views in an article titled “Right-wing CPM and the survival of CPI” published in Chandrika, the Muslim League’s mouthpiece.

The central argument of the article was that the CPM considers itself the owner and the CPI its subordinate, and that this reflects the attitude of both the CPM and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The article said the CPI has a distinct identity in Kerala’s modern political history but was pushed to the sidelines after becoming caught in the CPM’s shadow. It said the period of the C. Achutha Menon government, when the Muslim League, CPI and Congress jointly governed the state, helped lay a strong foundation for Kerala’s development. It also said Achutha Menon was instrumental in implementing land reforms in Kerala, but the credit was given only to E.M.S. Namboodiripad and K.R. Gouri.

Not an invitation to join UDF: Salam

Muslim League state general secretary P.M.A. Salam said K.P.A. Majeed’s article was not an invitation to any political party to join the UDF. He added that the article highlighted the CPI’s alleged neglect within the LDF and the gains it made during its period of alliance with the Muslim League.