THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The simmering trouble in the state CPI has come out in the open after a senior leader publicly criticised the party mouthpiece under the editorship of state secretary Kanam Rajendran. CPI Idukki district secretary KK Sivaraman made a Facebook post criticising party mouthpiece Janayugam in connection with the Sreenarayana Guru Jayanti.
Sivaraman pointed out that the newspaper has carried just a picture in connection with the birth anniversary celebrations of Sreenaranaya Guru, and termed it a disrespectful act. While other newspapers ensured detailed coverage, including their point of view in connection with the Guru’s birth anniversary, Janayugam’s approach was not in tune with the significance of the occasion, he said. “It’s not desirable for Janayugam to have an editorial board and management, which seem to be completely in the dark about Guru,” said Sivaraman.
Such public criticism of Janayugam, which has CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran doubling as the Chief Editor, has brought out the ongoing tussle within the party. Sivaraman, however, told the TNIE that his criticism was levelled solely against the newspaper and it has nothing to do with the party per se. Janayugam is a party-run newspaper.
Janayugam Editor Rajaji Mathew Thomas termed the criticism by K K Sivaraman baseless. “Janayugam has been carrying articles on Sreenarayana Guru on different occasions.Janayugam pays tributes to Sreenarayana Guru not only on his birth and death anniversaries. This year itself, we carried several articles on his teachings,” he told TNIE.