By P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A big salute to the CPI(M)’s lower-level leaders and the party cadres. For, it was their bold, open and trenchant criticism of the leadership which forced the party to go for a change for the better.
The party’s central leadership, ably led by general secretary M. A. Baby, also deserves full credit for the welcome corrective steps taken at the three-day extended CPI(M) State Committee meeting, which concluded with a massive rally on the beach at Kozhikode on Tuesday.
The outcome of the meeting has filled the party, reeling under a series of electoral debacles, with new hope and a sense of optimism for the future.
Expectedly, there was no change of leadership. But the message to the top leaders was loud and clear: Change or perish. Blaming the people for the party’s debacle and tinkering won’t do. It is time to go in for a massive organisational revamp and other corrective steps if the party wants to rise, Phoenix-like, from the reverses of the past. Failure to do that will result in the CPI(M) perishing the way it did in West Bengal and Tripura. That was the burden f the leaders’ song.
To their credit, both the central leadership and the Kerala leaders imbibed the message in the right spirit and went about the task of rejuvenation in a positive manner.
The meeting saw the central leadership tightening its grip on the Kerala unit. The leadership, led by general secretary M. A. Baby, and assisted by a five-member Polit Bureau team, intervened effectively at every stage and had their say and way at the meeting. Their determination saw CPI(M) State Secretary M. V. Govindan being subjected to internal censure for his failure to do his job effectively. True, Leader of the opposition and former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was spared the censure. But the punishment inflicted on Comrade Govindan contained a message to Pinarayi, too: the days when you could rise above the party were over. In his speech, Baby made a telling comment. Even great leaders like EMS Namboodiripad were not spared criticism. To his credit, EMS always laid accent on the need for self-criticism and introspection by leaders.
The three-day debate also witnessed open criticism. Both Baby and Govindan in their speeches exhorted the speakers at the meeting to shed all inhibitions and speak their mind. And that is what they did with telling effect. The party leaders were told to change their dictatorial and arrogant style of functioning. The targets were Pinarayi and Govindan.
The internal censure of Govindan was necessary. For it was his abject failure to assert himself as the party secretary which emboldened Pinarayi to function as the monarch of all that he surveyed. In a Communist party, the party is supreme. The Government must act according to the directions and policy guidelines issued by the party. It was so while Pinarayi was the party secretary. But, unfortunately, Govindan allowed himself to be dominated by Pinarayi and played second fiddle to him. That was a cardinal sin committed by the party secretary. The result is there for all to see. The CPI(M) in Keralam, which boasted the only communist government in the country, had to suffer a humiliating electoral loss.
It is heartening to note that, in pursuance of the policy of rejuvenation, significant changes have been made in the State leadership of the CPI(M). The most significant change is the inclusion of party veteran P. Jayarajan in the State Secretariat. It was a moment of triumph of Jayarajan, an immensely popular leader, after being marginalized for over 28 years. The injustice done to him has been undone, thanks to the effective intervention of the central leadership. The other two new members of the Secretariat are former minister M. B. Rajesh (Palakkad) and V. Sivankutty (Thiruvananthapuram). All the new entrants are great communicators – a lack of which has stumped the party on many an occasion. The trio are capable of explaining things in simple language which the cadres can understand.
Likewise, nine leaders have been included in the State Committee as permanent invitees. They are N. Sukanya (Kannur), O. S. Ambika (Thiruvananthapuram), Subaida Ishaq (Palakkad), Students Federation of India (SFI)national president Adarsh M. Saji, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) state secretary M. Vijin, DYFI national functionary Jaick C. Thomas, SFI state president M. Sivaprasad and state secretary P. S. Sanjeev and poet Prabha Varma, Susan Kodi (Kollam), who was earlier excluded from the State Committee, will be co-opted into it. Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, another great communicator has been allowed to attend the State Secretariat meetings. Central Committee members T. P. Ramakrishnan and Thomas Isaac have been removed from the Secretariat though they can attend its meetings.
The corrective measures followed intensive discussions on Sunday and Monday on a diluted draft document presented by party state secretary M. V. Govindan that suggested guidelines or the party’s revival. The Central leadership amended the document and averred that the reasons for the poll defeat were at the leadership level and not the mistakes made by the people – a line stressed by Pinarayi in his speeches at Taliparamba abd Payyannur, two party strongholds where the CPI(M) suffered humiliating losses. A notable feature of the discussions is that district secretariat members and functionaries of the party’s mass and class organisations sought strong steps to overcome organizational weaknesses and stressed the need to fix responsibility on the leadership for the poll loss.
The elevation of P. Jayarajan, who had earlier worked as the Kannur district secretary, has come as a whiff of fresh air. Jayarajan is a critical insider who calls a spade a spade. His inclusion is due to the central leadership’s insistence on the need for internal criticism. Incidentally, the PB is making such effective interventions after a long time!
The culmination of the three-day conclave was marked by a massive rally on the Kozhikode beach, which was addressed by Baby, Govindan, Pinarayi Vijayan and, most importantly, K. K. Shailaja who had been sidelined so far. Opening the rally, Baby said people should come forward to guide the CPI(M) by pointing out its mistakes, aberrations and confusions. Among the reasons given by him for the LDF’s poll debacle – apart from the mistakes committed both the party and the government – was the consolidation of all types of regressive forces and unleashing of false campaigns against the CPI(M). To cite one example, Baby said the CPI(M) could not effectively counter the so-called CPI(M)-BJP deal – a false perception created by anti-left media and political rivals.
Pinarayi in his speech accused the UDF Government of becoming totally subservient to the RSS agenda, citing the recital of the full version of the national song, Vande Mataram, which was against the stand of the Congress at the national level, at the swearing-in ceremony of the new government as an example and at other official events ever since. Comrade Govindan also made a stirring speech, promising to emerge stronger after applying the correctives.
The meeting also noted with concern the growing strength of the BJP in secular Keralam. It stressed the paramount need to arrest the onward march of the communal forces and decided to counter them with renewed vigour.
Another notable feature of the meeting was its condemnation of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) attempt to implicate Pinarayi, his daughter Veena and son-in-law Mohammed Riyas in the CMRL-Exalogic case. A resolution passed on the concluding day said the “political witch-hunt” by the ED “will be strongly resisted both legally and politically”. (IPA Service)
