New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: CPM general secretary M A Baby on Monday stated that it was incorrect to single out outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for taking moral responsibility for the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) defeat after a decade in power. His comments followed a meeting of the party's politburo in New Delhi.
Collective Responsibility
"Why should Pinarayi Vijayan be singled out to take moral responsibility for defeat? Our party is a collective entity. He is the senior-most member in the politburo and central committee. When we went into polls as a collective, we said that he is leading the campaign and if we get a majority we will decide on who will be the CM," Baby told reporters.
"No single comrade should be held responsible. We, the leadership, will assess the poll results in detail, reach out to people in our organisation at all levels, look at the shortcomings and the role of leadership as a collective. We will self-criticise and take corrective measures and put in place the rectification process," he added.
LDF's Vote Share and Concerns
The party noted that although the LDF suffered a "serious setback", it secured 37.6% of the votes in the state and would continue to resist "communal forces". Baby described the LDF's defeat as "unexpected" and expressed concern over the BJP winning three seats, calling it a serious political development.
The politburo alleged in a statement that the Congress's "soft approach towards communal forces" and "baseless allegations" against the CPM contributed to the BJP's growth in Kerala. Baby also alleged that the BJP resorted to "unethical practices" in West Bengal to intensify anti-government sentiment during the election process.
Electoral Integrity Concerns
He claimed that voters were removed from electoral rolls through a special intensive revision process and asserted that the credibility and transparency of the Election Commission were "completely destroyed".
Opposition Leader Decision
On the issue of the opposition leader in Kerala, Baby stated that the decision would be taken within the state unit and clarified that the politburo did not discuss the matter during its meeting in Delhi. CPM state secretary M V Govindan had earlier stated that the decision on the opposition leader would be made in Kerala.
Meanwhile, Vijayan remained silent when asked by reporters whether he would henceforth be travelling to Delhi in the capacity of opposition leader.
