Thiruvananthapuram: A month after an upset electoral defeat, the CPI(M) in Kerala has begun publicly reflecting on what went wrong, with senior leaders acknowledging lapses in how the party handled controversies during the Assembly elections.
The latest signs of this introspection came this week at the 29th edition of the ‘World of EMS’ conference in Malappuram, where senior leaders openly spoke about campaign mistakes and controversies that dogged the party ahead of the Assembly elections.
In a video from the event that surfaced Tuesday, former Industries Minister P. Rajeeve is heard discussing the party’s internal assessment of the election campaign.
“The party has analysed that the slogan ‘Who else but LDF’ did not work well. It created a different impression among people. Similarly, not taking action during issues such as the Vellappally controversy also backfired. But one thing is that we cannot undo things like in computers,” Rajeeve says in the video.
In another clip, CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby is heard saying that political parties should exercise caution while fielding relatives of leaders as candidates, even if they are otherwise qualified, especially when the ‘bourgeois media’ attacks the party over it.
The remarks come weeks after the party concluded an extensive poll review exercise that began at the district level and culminated in a state-level meeting last week.
Following the review, state secretary M.V. Govindan acknowledged that the party had failed to respond swiftly to issues that generated public criticism.
Among them were the Sabarimala theft scandal, which became a major campaign issue for the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), and public backlash over SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan’s anti-Muslim comments.
He added that the party’s Kannur unit acknowledged lapses in candidate selection in constituencies such as Taliparamba and Payyannur.
In the run-up to the polls, the party’s Kannur unit faced internal rebellions over the candidature of Govindan’s wife, P.K. Shyamala, in Taliparamba. T.K. Govindan, who left the party over the issue, eventually won the seat as a UDF-backed Independent.
Notably, the party on Monday suspended its functionary, A. Padmakumar, who is accused in the Sabarimala gold scandal case. The Sabarimala scandal was one of the main campaign issues raised by the Congress against the Left government.
Political analyst K.P. Sethunath said that while the self-criticism exercise deserves recognition, it does not answer how the party intends to address the issues it has identified.
“They are admitting their mistakes. But they are not addressing why it happened. How are they going to rectify it without asking that question? Whether the issue is structural or something else,” Sethunath said.
After being reduced to 26 seats in the 140-member Assembly, the CPI(M)-led Left has been attempting to redefine its role in opposition.
One of the first issues it took up was the proposed eviction of seven Scheduled Caste (Dalit) families in Pariyathukavu in Ernakulam district. The party’s district unit joined protests against the court-backed eviction, accusing the newly elected UDF government of failing to protect Dalit families.
It also criticised the government’s handling of the Nipah outbreak and has continued to target the Congress over the CMRL-Exalogic case allegedly involving fraudulent payments.
Yet, some within the party argue that the questions raised by the election defeat run deeper than individual controversies.
Multiple CPI(M) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) functionaries, speaking on condition of anonymity, reported dissatisfaction within sections of the organisation regarding the leadership and election campaign.
Several pointed to the decision to project the then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the central face of the campaign, while others expressed concerns over the current leadership’s ability to rebuild the party in opposition.
“The party needs younger and more responsive leadership to take on the UDF government. The party should not continue to project Vijayan as its sole face,” a DYFI functionary said, requesting anonymity, adding that they still support the party.
Sethunath said it was still too early to assess the party’s performance in opposition, but added that once the party brass addressed its internal issues and sought accountability from within, adapting to its opposition role would become easier.
LDF not reduced to 26 but to 35 why masking the facts ?