CPM state secretary MV Govindan (Master) is a thorough ‘party man’. “Collective’’ is a term he uses very often during the conversation. Heading the CPM when it is in power could be more difficult for a party secretary than when it is in the opposition and this is something Govindan, known for his crisis management skills, is quite aware of. He talks to TNIE at length about the transition the CPM is going through and one realises why Govindan is known as the “party ideologue.” Excerpts:
It has been two months since you took over as the party’s state secretary. Now, you are in the politburo as well. The party has given you a big responsibility. How do you feel?
Any cadre’s responsibility is to execute the duties assigned by the party. This is not an individual job, but a collective one.
You are the party secretary in Kerala, the CPM’s strongest bastion. What, according to you, are the qualities the party saw in you to elevate you to this post?
Everyone in the Communist party has some or the other quality. I do not see anything personal in this.
You are a teetotaller. But you had to handle the excise portfolio. How was that experience?
Everything in our party is a collective decision, not an individual’s choice. One need not be a drunkard to handle the excise portfolio. (chuckles)
Have heard that yours was a love marriage and that M V Raghavan played a crucial part in arranging your marriage…
Ours was not a love marriage. But, yes, MVR played a role in it. He was the one who spoke to Shyamala’s parents.
Is it true that MVR wanted you to join his new party?
Yes, true. He invited me to his place to discuss this. I told him that I will never leave the party. He tried a lot to convince me otherwise but later he told me to follow my convictions. He knew very well that I would be very vocal against him in future. That was an ideological fight.
But still, you maintained friendship with him?
Yes. I’ve never stopped being friends with anyone.
State Congress president K Sudhakaran told us in an earlier episode of Express Dialogues that you were his only friend in the CPM. He also said that he did not see eye to eye with Pinarayi Vijayan…
I have good friends among political rivals too. There is no personal enmity. But there will not be any compromise in politics.
Is the party discussing a new policy document on trade unions?
Yes. Necessary changes will be made in the approach in accordance with the changing times. We cannot prevent change but need to go along with the change. Only change is constant.
Not all Leftists seem to agree with the concept of change. They allege these are right-wing deviations of CPM…
They are mere allegations. We are the true Left. Legislations will be made in accordance with the prevailing situations keeping in mind people’s interests. Those legislations will be implemented.
Some cite SilverLine as an example of this right-wing deviation…
Society is developing every second everywhere in the world. SilverLine will be helpful for everyone, including workers, farmers and Kudumbashree members. It will help Kudumbashree workers in Thiruvananthapuram to go and sell their products in Ernakulam and return the same day.
Earlier, the Left used to take an environment-friendly approach. The biggest allegation against SilverLine is that it is against the environment…
That argument is unfounded. On what basis do you claim that the project will impact the environment? This is a negative thought that there should not be any development activity. Earlier, there was a similar campaign against NH development. Now everyone is silent. Do you have the courage to say that highways are not required?
In the past two decades, the party was led by Kodiyeri-Pinarayi leadership. How do you look at that equation?
I do not agree with that view. Party is based on collective leadership. Pinarayi and Kodiyeri were part of it. I do not want my name also to be mentioned in that way.
So, are you saying that a person’s character will not influence the party?
Rather, I would say that a person is conditioned by the party.
But your tenure as the Kannur district secretary was one of the most peaceful times in Kannur. The situation was not like that before you and after you. How will you explain that period of peace?
It was not because of me. But simply because there were no attacks in Kannur then. Nothing is personal. Everything is political.
Have heard that Sri M played a role in peace negotiations in Kannur. What was his role?
No single person can bring peace. There were several rounds of peace talks. Several people, including Sri M, spoke about peace in such meetings. All such talks have led to peace. It is not person-centric.
There was a time when CPM was neck-deep in groupism. Many felt a split was imminent... But now the party is a unified force. To whom do you give credit for the change?
The credit for the change goes to the party itself. The party tenets help in bringing all differences together for coordinated acts. If the party errs, the party corrects. That is the peculiarity of the party.
How does the party plan to connect with the youth who form a formidable chunk of our society?
The biggest strength of our party is the youth. The educated and creative youth are with the party. It is the SFI which rules all the university unions. SFI and DYFI are our biggest strengths.
You recently said a party member cannot be called a Marxist just because she or he has a membership. Could you elaborate?
One should not have the misconception that they have become a Communist just with party membership. Becoming a Marxist is a continuous process. There is nobody called a 100% Marxist.
There is an allegation that this government indulges in minority appeasement. If Samastha hits the road, then the government will change its stand, they say. How will you respond to that?
We are not scared of anyone, and such a thing will never happen.
But the government did change its position on the appointment of Sriram Venkitaraman and gender neutrality following Samastha’s opposition…
Sriram Venkitaraman’s appointment could be an aberration. If you focus on such aberrations and say if this is our stand, then I beg to differ. There is no need to fear anyone to take the right path.
CPM’s equation with religion has always been troublesome…
The Communist party’s stand is not against believers. In fact, we stand by them. There is a misconception spread across the country that the Communist party is against believers. I will give you an example… Once I addressed students in the University College. The topic was Marx and religion. I asked them what stand they would take if they were caught between two opposing groups of believers and non-believers. They said in unison that they stand by the non-believers. But I told them that I am not with them on the issue and explained the stand of the party. Going to a temple, church or mosque is based on the belief of a person.
But will a temple/church-going person have any prospects in the party?
Belief does not come in the way of obtaining membership. There is no reservation for the leadership position. Members come to leadership positions based on their grasp over Marxian philosophy, ideology, economics and political studies, and their ability to apply it in society.
There is an ongoing tussle between the governor and the government. How is the party going to face this?
We will face it constitutionally and legally. We do not have any anxiety over it.
What are the options before the party?
When a person is adopting a stance that is anti-constitutional, illegal and against precedents, how do we deal with such a person? We will deal with the person constitutionally, legally and as per precedents. When it becomes political, we will deal with it politically as well.
The DMK government in Tamil Nadu had asked the Centre to recall Governor R N Ravi? Will the Kerala government also follow suit?
The governor is the nominee of the BJP and the RSS. So, if ‘X’ goes and ‘Y’ comes, it is still the RSS which dictates. Arif Mohammed Khan is the governor now. What if a person worse than him comes? RSS wants the saffronisation of education and needs vice-chancellors who can interfere in syllabus and other matters. We will resist such moves.
The governor may be acting at the behest of the RSS. But it is certain procedural lapses on the part of the government that gave the governor the opportunity...
There are no lapses. It’s the education rules of the state that made the governor the chancellor of universities. The governor claims that the law has been declared void. In that case, such a governor cannot continue as chancellor. It’s the law that gave him the post of chancellor. If that law is void, will there be a chancellor?
But isn’t it the non-compliance with UGC regulations that led to this situation?
We need not comply with all UGC regulations. The state has its own powers and rights. It’s on that basis that laws have been enacted.
There are many bills pending assent by the governor. What can the government do in this situation?
What can the governor do? He has three options — he can send it to the president, send it back to the assembly and can hold on it but not for an indefinite period.
But it has been months...
Yes. It is anti-constitutional.
So what is the solution?
If the governor adopts an illegal and unconstitutional stance, it will be resisted legally and constitutionally.
Isn’t there any scope for a reconciliation?
What reconciliation are you talking about? There is no scope for it. It’s only right or wrong. There is no half-right and half-wrong. It is not an issue that can be ended through mediation
But it was the government that did not support a resolution against the governor that the Opposition had brought.
Circumstances change… Now, what is the Opposition’s stance? They have no stance. There is no consensus within Congress or its leaders. Even when the Babri Masjid was demolished, we saw the Congress and Muslim League staying united without any differences of opinion. Now, the League is opposing the governor’s actions.
But will that be enough to get assent to the Bills passed by the assembly?
The bills will get the assent. When we do not have any anxiety over it, why should you? You are showing anti-communist anxiety. In your minds, you are thinking about how the process can be stalled. (laughs…)
Do you think the second Pinarayi Vijayan government is as good as the first?
The present government and the one before are equally good. There is no doubt about it. We are in the process of creating a knowledge economy which will give jobs to 20 lakh people. When K-Rail is launched and the widened national highway is thrown open, Kerala will not be what we see today. Within the next 25 years, we will have a society that stands on par with the most developed countries in the world.
The Home Department is getting a lot of flak. The scenario was the same in the previous government too…
The party has taken a stance whenever the actions of the police have begun to affect the image of the government. We will do that again. It’s a correction process. We will correct those who take the wrong stance. There is no question of a compromise.
A section in the Muslim League wants to come to the LDF fold. Will they be welcomed?
Any person from any party can come to the CPM.
You mean the LDF?
They can come to the party itself.
Does that mean Muslim League is welcome to LDF as a constituent?
IUML is in fact the backbone of the UDF. Without IUML, there is no UDF. The problem is certain stances taken by the League. Let them correct it, then we will respond. As I said earlier, opportune decisions are taken at opportune situations. (laughs)
The party has grown across the state, but Ernakulam district remains an unconquered terrain for the CPM. You were once in charge of the district…
Ernakulam is no longer a hurdle. There are many constituencies where we can win. It is the only place where Congress wields considerable influence. But the situation is emerging and LDF will emerge stronger.
You are the 4th person from Kannur to become the CPM state secretary in a row…What is so special about Kannur?
Be it Pinarayi or Kodiyeri or Chadayan (Govindan), we all have worked across the state. So it is not right to say that a person is made party secretary just because he is born in Kannur. There is no need to analyse it based on place of birth.
Some say the party in Kannur is the real party. Do you agree?
There is no basis for such an assumption.
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and you are kind of peers at the CPM, though he came to the party district and state leaderships much before you.
Each leader is entrusted with different responsibilities, based on varying situations. The party takes decisions, in general. It’s a flow, of which all of us are part. Not everyone can be secretary or politburo member. The party functions under a collective leadership.
Many have become silent as a result of factionalism. Are there any plans to make them more active in the party?
Everyone, including those who have been silent for long, will be brought back to the party machinery.
Recently party Central Committee member K K Shailaja was chosen for the Magsaysay award. Why did the party turn it down?
Ramon Magsaysay was the biggest anti-Communist in the world. He was the one who assassinated an entire politburo. Only a Communist who is unaware of the real politics at play here will accept such an award in his name.
But receiving such an award could also be seen as a recognition of efforts by the Communist party in Kerala…
How can we accept that? There are ideological reasons behind such a decision.
Everyone accepts that the Left has played a crucial role in shaping up Kerala into what it is now. But at the same time, it is also responsible for creating a social psyche where people making money are looked down upon…
Yes, there’s an impression that the financially affluent are our biggest enemy. We need to change that attitude. It was the rich farmers who led the farmers’ agitations in Punjab. In Kerala, there are only a few on whom the Left can’t depend. But there are none who can’t depend on the Left.
The LDF scripted history by coming to power for the second straight time. But some feel that this won’t do good for the party organisation...
As far as we are concerned, being part of parliamentary politics and even running the government are part of expanding the party and its base. Just because we are part of the government doesn’t mean we will let ourselves be immersed in luxuries. That’s not our style of functioning.
Is another thudarbharanam on the agenda?
The Opposition is already so disillusioned thinking that it has no future in Kerala. I don’t want to add anything to that. (chuckles...)