THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM state secretary M V Govindan on Thursday faced severe criticism in the state committee meeting for his controversial remarks about RSS- CPM relations at the time of Emergency. The government was also criticised for allegedly giving undue prominence and consideration to ADGP M R Ajith Kumar.
In the state committee, there was unprecedented criticism against Govindan as leaders alleged his careless statement became a political weapon at a crucial phase of the campaign. In a channel interview, Govindan had said there was an association between the RSS and CPM in opposing Emergency. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had publicly reprimanded Govindan without naming him for making loose comments in front of the mike.
“The statement proved a setback for the CPM in the by-election. He should have taken a more cautious approach. The comments were made just hours before the polling. The UDF workers circulated the video clip of the interview and used it against the party on the day of silent campaign,” one of the leaders said.
Some leaders said LDF’s opponents and communal organisations like Jamaat-e- Islami used CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s reference to Malappuram in an interview to their advantage. “It was used against the CPM as a hate campaign,” a leader pointed out.
Some leaders questioned the government’s partiality towards Ajith Kumar. “Why support an officer who was involved in the Thrissur pooram fiasco? Even the police chief had submitted a report against the officer’s conduct during the pooram. The government must stop protecting him,” they demanded.
“The UDF succeeded in reaching out to dissatisfied voters. Muslim League was behind Anvar’s candidature. Anvar was fielded to prevent the flow of the votes of disgruntled UDF supporters to CPM. The Jamaat-e-Islami had been at the forefront of communal propaganda and it ultimately led to Muslim vote polarisation,” it said.