Temporary respite from PM Shri squabble; CPM-CPI reach 'hard-fought' pact

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The PM Shri deadlock finally saw a way out after both CPM and CPI decided to ameliorate tensions in a hard-fought pact. The political uncertainty in the Left Front thus came to an end after four days of stalemate.

CPM decided to give up their earlier stance, not to bow down to pressure on the matter. CPI also softened from their stance of no more talks unless the government backs out of the scheme. Thus, the squabble ended with no party taking home the winning credit.

The compromise stipulates that a letter can be sent to the Center to temporarily freeze the MoU, and a cabinet sub-committee can be formed to study the rules of the project in detail. The sub-committee is chaired by Education Minister V. Sivankutty and includes Ministers K. Rajan, P. Prasad, Roshy Augustine, P. Rajeev, A. K. Saseendran and K. Krishnankutty. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a press conference that the review is regarding the implementation of the project and that the state will not proceed with the scheme until the sub-committee report is received.

A political crisis was looming over Kerala after CPI harangued CPM for endorsing the PM Shri scheme. Even Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s acumen failed to yield results when he tried to pacify the issue with a stubborn CPI leadership. The Chief Minister was informed that the CPI ministers would not attend Wednesday’s cabinet meeting if the issue remained resolved. Fear thus spread to other constituents within the LDF. Senior leaders had to intervene in the matter.

On Wednesday, CPM General Secretary M A Baby cancelled all of his pre-scheduled programs to conduct a meeting with State Secretary M.V. Govindan. Baby expressed apprehension over the party's prospects in the local and assembly elections if CPI withdraws support. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was also made aware of the situation. Subsequently, the Chief Minister, M.A. Baby, M.V. Govindan, and LDF convener T.P. Ramakrishnan held a detailed discussion at the AKG Center. It was during this discussion that the decision was made to soften the stance.