Tremors of Probe Panel Report Drag CPI into Deep Crisis

Finally, the CPI leadership has paid its price. After having faced with the
Tremors of Probe Panel Report Drag CPI into Deep Crisis

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finally, the CPI leadership has paid its price. After having faced with the ignominy of being caught red-handed by the Party Commission for accepting money for gifting the all-important LS seat of Thiruvananthapuram in a crucial election to the Lok Sabha, the CPI leadership is facing the task of walking the extra mile to reassure the cadre, that too ahead of the upcoming party conferences.

 But, the leadership has to be blamed for the inept handling of the situation emerging out of the humiliating defeat the party’s candidate had to face at the hands of the vigilant voters of Thiruvananthapuram which had sent even Pannian Ravindran to the Lok Sabha with a thumping margin.

 While the state leaders including many of its national executive members were acting like a bunch of reckless people, the CPI national leadership should have acted with responsibility. But it was hoping against hope to expect that saner elements would prevail over a central executive led by leaders like P Sudhakar Reddy and A B Bardhan.

 In fact, A B Bardhan has been doing a great disservice to the party by clinging on to continue backseat driving.

Bardhan  has repeatedly proved  that he had been an “ineffectual angel’’ incapable of leading the party on the right path. It was he who made the first comment that a candidate from outside the party would be fielded in  Thiruvananthapuram. But even after stepping down, he is not allowing Sudhakar Reddy adequate space to function.

 With regard to the state unit, after the unfortunate and untimely death of C K Chandrappan, the CPI had lost the last stalwart figure in the party in the state if not in the entire country for that matter. It is still vibrant in the memory of political observers on how he had rejuvenated the party machinery to function effectively on its own.

Chandrappan who had made the party live up to the expectations of its cadre in a short time, however, left behind an inept leadership. Time and again , incumbent secretary  Pannian Ravindran  has proved that he cannot act with confidence as he is bullied by senior leaders C Divakran and K E Ismail.

 Even if Pannian wants to come out of their surveillance, the duo will not allow him. No longer will his simple, down-to-earth image come to his help. What has happened immediately after the state council meeting is alien to the communist culture.  

Those who have faced the disciplinary action were speaking out without bothering for further action from the party. The tell-tale visuals of Venjarammoodu Sasi and P Ramachandran Nair taking on party leadership with the former announcing his decision to quit the party and the latter hinting at tumbling the skeletons in the cupboard if the leadership reveal anything to depict him as a fraudster, makes the picture complete.

CPM in silent mode

T’Puram: While the CPI continues to face the heat on the cash-for-seat controversy, the big brother CPM, the main architect of disaster, is conspicuous by its silence. Despite a feeble response from LDF convener Vaikom Viswam that the controversy was unnecessary and part of the ploy to attack the Left forces, no other CPM leaders had come forward to make any comment. It may be remembered that CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and even Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan had backed the candidature of Dr Bennet Abraham prior to the elections and after.  Whenever asked to comment about the humiliating defeat of Bennet,  Pinarayi Vijayan had reiterated his earlier stand that Bennet’s candidature had been received well by the electorate. It was a known fact that Bennet was a close associate of the CPM and it was CPM that thrust upon him on the CPI.  ENS

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