KOZHIKODE: A Facebook post by CPM strongman P Jayarajan has added a new dimension to discussions on reasons for the party’s disastrous poll outing.
The post said the ‘rectification process that started earlier should be continued’. “There are lessons...we should learn and correct,” Jayarajan said, adding that “some degeneration may sneak in when communists intervene in the parliamentary system. The party’s credibility will suffer if these are not corrected.”
The context of his intervention are Facebook posts targeting the party leadership, including state secretary M V Govindan and district secretary K K Ragesh, over faulty candidates’ selection and mismanagement of internal issues. There was resentment within the party over fielding Govindan’s wife P K Shyamala in Taliparamba. Though the bickering was silenced by the leadership, the issue resurfaced after her defeat.
Ragesh is blamed for not finding an amicable solution in Payyannur, which led to the ouster of V Kunhikrishnan, who went on to win as an independent with UDF backing. These issues affected neighbouring Thrikkaripur, which had not elected a non-CPM face in decades until now.
Meanwhile, Facebook is flooded with posts urging Jayarajan to take the reins of CPM to ‘save the party from the crisis.’ The former Kannur district secretary is portrayed as a genuine communist who stayed away from power centres.
‘Party bigger’
A flex board with photos of P Jayarajan and M Swaraj appeared at Kolayad panchayat in Kannur, stating that the party was bigger than the leaders. “We will be with them if they (Jayarajan and Swaraj) are ready to lead,” read the board, which had a cross mark on the photos of CPM state secretary M V Govindan and CM Pinarayi Vijayan.