Another CPI(M) leader quits, joins BJP amid allegations of factionalism
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In a political shift, another senior CPI(M) leader, Madhu Mullassery, has exited the party and joined the BJP, marking the second such defection in recent days.
His announcement on Tuesday morning was followed swiftly by his expulsion from the CPI(M) for allegedly violating party principles and tarnishing its public image.
Shortly after his exit, Mullassery was welcomed into the BJP by Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Tourism Suresh Gopi, former central minister V Muraleedharan, and other BJP leaders. Suresh Gopi ceremoniously draped him in a saffron shawl and extended his best wishes.
CPI(M) Thiruvananthapuram district secretary V Joy cited Mullassery's proximity to BJP members during his tenure as area secretary as a reason for his expulsion. According to Joy, Mullassery had aligned with the BJP on various issues, prompting the party to act. “He was in agreement with them on certain matters,” Joy claimed.
Mullassery, a CPI(M) member for 42 years and former area secretary in Mangalapuram, pointed fingers at V Joy for his departure, accusing him of fostering internal division within the party. “It has become difficult to work under V Joy, who prioritizes his own interests over the party’s welfare,” Mullassery said, alleging mistreatment by the district leadership.
In an interview with a TV channel, Mullassery revealed that leaders from both the BJP and Congress had approached him before his decision to join the BJP.
This development follows the recent defection of Bipin C Babu, a CPI(M) leader from Alappuzha, who joined the BJP on November 30. Bipin, who served on the CPI(M) Alappuzha area committee and the district panchayat, accused the Left party of abandoning its secular roots and succumbing to communal influences. “A few communal forces are steering the party, turning it into an organization dominated by a particular faction,” Bipin alleged.
The CPI(M) is also facing criticism over the sidelining of senior leader G Sudhakaran and protests at local conferences, particularly in Kollam district’s Karunagappally area, signaling deep-seated factionalism.