It's time CPM rid itself of 'criminal' elements
The 2013 Palakkad plenum of the CPM had passed a resolution against party workers establishing connections with real estate mafia, loan sharks and proponents of superstitious rituals. Along with factional tendencies, amassing wealth disproportionate to one’s known sources of income was declared a taboo too. During the 2015 national plenum in Kolkata, the party leadership admitted that a large number of the members didn’t possess the minimum qualification for membership. The recent arrest of a former DYFI leader from Kannur for being part of a gang engaged in stealing smuggled gold and the alleged involvement of other CPM workers in this particular case and other criminal activities earlier have raised questions on how seriously the party and its workers heeded these warnings. With the party being accused of sheltering criminals, CPM’s Kannur district secretary M V Jayarajan was quick to declare that the organisation didn’t have anything to do with them. He even read out a list of 20 criminals who call themselves CPM members and warned party workers against associating with them.
The fact is, whether they are officially members of the CPM or not, these people were at the forefront of all party activities till recently and their social media profiles are a testimony to their association with senior leaders. With names of other Kannur-based gangsters allegedly associated with the CPM too cropping up, the party is finding it hard to defend itself. Two gangsters facing life terms in the T P Chandrasekharan murder case were named in a leaked audio clip by a smuggler. Open and tacit endorsement of criminals by the leadership is the reason why more youngsters are using the party as a cover for their criminal activities. If the CPM is serious about rooting out criminals from among the cadre, there needs to be strong and convincing action against all those who violate the party’s line, including leaders who engage criminals to do their dirty work. The party, with a strong network at the grassroots level, can easily identify such elements. It’s time the CPM came clean on the criminal elements within and did something to restore its image.