CPI(M) state leadership faces sharp criticism at extended state committee meeting

KOZHIKODE: The guidelines proposed by the CPI(M) for correcting organisational mistakes are not comprehensive enough, representatives said at the party's expanded state committee meeting, sharply criticising the state leadership.

CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan, while presenting the draft report, said state and district committee members had not been active enough in party activities and that wrong trends had brought disrepute to the party. Representatives from Kannur, however, strongly criticised the report.

They questioned why the report did not point to lapses on the part of the state leadership. The criticism was made in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and M.V. Govindan. The representatives alleged that the blame for the party's setbacks had been placed largely on party workers and district committees.

The draft report said political and organisational issues had contributed to the party's setbacks. It also alleged that the Enforcement Directorate was attempting to weaken the party through Pinarayi Vijayan. The representatives, however, did not appear willing to give much importance to the ED's actions during the discussion.

The report mentioned shortcomings in candidate selection in the Payyannur and Thaliparamba constituencies only as a general criticism. It did not contain self-criticism over the lapses in candidate selection. At the same time, it criticised the growing parliamentary ambitions within the party.

This prompted Kannur representatives to launch a sharp criticism of Pinarayi Vijayan and M.V. Govindan without directly naming either of them.

They pointed out that the party had lost not only the Assembly election but all elections held since 2021, and said the leadership had not undertaken any corrective measures after the earlier defeats. They also alleged that the leadership had failed to intervene in problems at the appropriate time and find solutions.

The representatives said the leadership was responsible for the parliamentary ambitions that had developed within the party. They alleged that the party had been working with parliamentary gains as its objective for the past 10 years.

'Contemptuous approach'

The representatives alleged that leaders had become unwilling to listen to what party workers had to say. They criticised what they described as a contemptuous approach towards various issues. They said the parliamentary ambitions of some leaders had gone beyond the level of organisational decline. Some people remained in the party only for parliamentary positions, while some believed that nobody else could replace them, they alleged.

Criticism was also raised over the application of different standards to different people while setting organisational norms.

Thaliparamba issue not mentioned

The draft report specifically referred to shortcomings in candidate selection in Payyannur but did not mention the candidacy issue in Thaliparamba, where P.K. Shyamala, the wife of M.V. Govindan, had contested.

The replacement of K.K. Shailaja as a candidate and the decision not to field A.N. Shamseer also came up for discussion. Representatives from Kannur, Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram districts participated in the general discussion.

Draft report points to lapses at lower levels

The draft report said state committee members had failed to adequately assist district committees in their functioning. It said they often limited their role to attending party committee meetings and failed to provide the necessary support for the political and organisational activities of district committees.

The report also said there had been instances of party members giving up their membership. It said the issue had not been taken seriously at the local level and that the actual reasons had not been examined. All levels of the party organisation had failed to understand the erosion of support, the report said. The party had suffered vote erosion even in its strongholds, according to the draft report. It also noted a decline in the number of party workers capable of engaging with people and presenting the party's political positions. The report further said the party's affiliated organisations had not provided adequate support.