Kannur delegates question Vijayan, Govindan over CPI(M)’s poll defeat

Kozhikode: The CPI(M)’s extended Kerala State Committee meeting witnessed sharp criticism from delegates of Kannur, traditionally regarded as the party’s stronghold, over the draft report on the Left’s recent electoral defeat.

The delegates objected to the report’s apparent attempt to place much of the blame on party workers and lower-level committees. They argued that responsibility should also be fixed on the state leadership, which took the key political and organisational decisions.

The criticism put former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and State Secretary M.V. Govindan under indirect pressure, although the delegates did not frame their objections as direct personal attacks.

The Kannur representatives questioned the need for rank-and-file workers to undertake self-correction when senior leaders had not fully acknowledged their own role in the party’s setbacks. Delegates from Kollam later echoed similar concerns.

They also criticised the growth of parliamentary ambitions among senior leaders and the emergence of personality-driven politics within the party during its prolonged spell in power.

The omission of the Taliparamba candidature controversy from the draft report came in for particular criticism.

While the document reportedly referred to shortcomings in candidate selection and discussed the defeat in Payyannur, delegates questioned why the Taliparamba setback had not received similar attention. The decision to move K.K. Shailaja to another constituency and the handling of A.N. Shamseer’s candidature were also raised during the discussions.

Delegates alleged that the party had adopted different standards for senior leaders and ordinary workers. They said shielding those close to the leadership while publicly criticising others had weakened the CPI(M)’s credibility.

The discussions also focused on the broader organisational decline. Delegates pointed to the erosion of the party’s traditional vote base, a fall in active membership and weakening links with mass organisations.

They said many leaders had become disconnected from the people and were no longer able to clearly communicate the party’s political position.

The draft report’s reference to investigations by central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate, against Vijayan and his family as a major challenge for the party also failed to generate significant support among the delegates.

Instead, the discussions suggested that the CPI(M)’s immediate problems were primarily internal and linked to its organisational and political functioning.

The CPI(M)-led Left has failed to win an election since the 2021 Assembly polls, culminating in a major setback in the latest Assembly election. Delegates said the leadership had ignored repeated warnings from successive defeats and failed to introduce corrective measures in time.

The second day of the three-day meeting was expected to see further debate on the party’s failures and the accountability of its state leadership. The concluding session on Tuesday will be important as the discussions are summed up and the draft report is finalised.

The key question is whether the criticism from the grassroots will lead to accountability for Vijayan and Govindan or be absorbed into another routine exercise in organisational rectification without any major change at the top.

(Inputs from IANS)