Kozhikode: Following the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s severe electoral drubbing, senior leader P Jayarajan sounded a note of caution, stating that when Communists engage in parliamentary politics, various forms of degeneration can creep in. He warned that if such issues are not discussed and corrected, the CPM's public credibility will erode.
Need for introspection and correction
"There are lessons from this election that require introspection and correction. Party leaders have already made it clear. This includes the need to continue the rectification process which began earlier," Jayarajan wrote in a Facebook post. He added that the CPM cannot move forward without addressing its concrete problems.
He stressed that rectification must take place within the organization and noted that some supporters are expressing differing opinions and criticisms on social media as they were disappointed with the election results. "Such views should be communicated to the party leadership. CPM is a party that takes letters from supporters seriously," he added.
UDF and BJP gain from Left's poor performance
Jayarajan said that in Kerala, the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League were the primary beneficiaries of the Left's dismal poll result. He observed that more than the welfare and development achievements during the 10-year Left Democratic Front rule, the United Democratic Front's aggressive campaign drew a section of voters. Therefore, the Left must take up this issue, he said.
"Another dangerous dimension of this shift is the BJP winning three seats. For decades, the RSS attempted to penetrate Kerala society. Believing that communists were the main obstacle, they unleashed ideological and physical attacks against the CPM. The martyrdom of 215 party workers across 13 districts was a result of this. While the RSS was forced to scale back its attacks, its ideological expansion continues. Only the Left can resist this ideologically and that struggle must continue," he added.
Internal dissent surfaces
Meanwhile, flex boards appeared against the party leadership at Anthoor Municipality and some other places. Additionally, many Left social media handles have been vocal in criticizing the party leadership and party state secretary M V Govindan for the CPM's electoral debacle. His wife PK Shyamala lost to CPM rebel TK Govindan by over 12,000 votes in the party stronghold of Taliparamba.
