Thiruvananthapuram MP N K Premachandran has issued a direct challenge to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its youth wing, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). He has demanded they publicly disclose their official stance regarding the actions of their party MP, John Brittas.
The Core Allegation: A Mediator in Secret Talks
The controversy stems from a statement made by a Union Minister in the Rajya Sabha. The minister alleged that CPM MP John Brittas acted as a mediator in confidential dealings between the Kerala Chief Minister and the Prime Minister. Premachandran highlighted that this revelation was made on the floor of the Upper House of Parliament.
Premachandran pointed out a significant legal nuance. He stated that if the minister's claim was factually incorrect, John Brittas possessed the right to issue a notice for breach of parliamentary privilege. However, the MP noted that Brittas has not contested the statement. Instead, Brittas has seemingly accepted or embraced the minister's account of his role as an intermediary.
Questioning the Political Narrative
Further intensifying his critique, Premachandran addressed another claim attributed to the CPM parliamentarian. He referenced Brittas's alleged assertion about taking responsibility to implement the BJP's Hindutva political agenda in Kerala through a new education policy.
Premachandran described this claim as strange and politically incongruous, given the CPM's staunch ideological opposition to the BJP's Hindutva politics. This, he implied, raises serious questions about the alignment of Brittas's actions with the stated principles of his own party.
A Call for Accountability and Clarity
The central thrust of Premachandran's demand is transparency and accountability from the CPM leadership. By calling upon both the party and its youth wing to clarify their position, he is pushing them to either endorse, condemn, or explain the conduct of their member of parliament.
The situation places the CPM in a delicate position. It must reconcile the actions of its MP with its public political rhetoric against the BJP-led central government. Premachandran's intervention ensures that the party's response, or lack thereof, will be closely watched in Kerala's charged political landscape.
