The communist strength that cannot be erased by time 

The sudden death of communist leader and CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran has shocked not only his party members but also the whole of political Kerala. Although he was under treatment for illness, his colleagues and followers were hopeful that he would soon return to active life. Kanam, who led the party in the state for three terms, was currently a member of the central secretariat and the national vice-president of AITUC. His demise is a huge loss for the Left movements and the CPI.

Kanam Rajendran was a leader who showed strong leadership skills in establishing the relevance and importance of CPI in the Left Democratic Front of Kerala. As a political leader, Kanam was neither gentle like Veliyam Bharghavan and PK Vasudevan Nair, nor harsh like CK Chandrappan. Kanam's style was also different from the above in his approach to other parties, especially the CPM led by the LDF. However, he never hesitated to be stern at the necessary stages. He dared to say what had to be said in a calculated language, without the least bit of outrage. He was a staunch communist in life.

Even at the height of the campaign that Kerala Congress M's arrival to the Left Front would dim the CPI's importance in the Front, Kanam responded with a small smile like a leader with an outstanding experience. He showed extraordinary equanimity not to fall under anyone's provocations. Perhaps he acquired this skill from his experience of diplomatic approaches gained as a trade union leader. He was always keen to uphold the unity of the workers and their common needs. He organized the workers in the film industry as well as those in the unorganized sector and was always interested in artists. Kanam also had the experience of acting in plays during his studies.

Kanam was a leader who led from the front with flawless determination when his own party and front were in crisis. Whenever there have been clashes between CPM and CPI, not only the political opponents but also the media have tried their best to get something out of Kanam but he never took that bait. He defended it all, often with silence and sometimes with words. Even if he spoke, he showed the doggedness of an untainted communist. With his unique style of responses, he provided a strong shield not only for the government but also for the LDF. He stood as the strength and voice of the common people.

When CK Chandraappan became the state president of AIYF, Kanam entered CPI politics by taking charge as the state secretary of the said youth organization. He was nineteen years old then. The youngest person to hold office. He joined CPI at the age of twenty-one and the State Secretariat at the age of twenty-six. He became Kottayam District Secretary twice and got elected as MLA in 1982 and 1987. Although he rose to become a fiery leader in the assembly, he did not remain in parliamentary work for long.

He became the party secretary at the Kottayam State Conference in 2015. He reached that position by overcoming all factional opposition within the party. There was no looking back after that. Kanam became the invincible leader of the party. Kanam was a leader who was always closely associated with Kerala Kaumudi. We condole his demise and share the grief of the bereaved family members and party supporters.