THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI, which sees itself as the cornerstone of the ‘real Left’, has of late been witnessing large scale inflow of CPM cadre. CPI claims roughly 6,000 CPM workers moved to the party in the past one year. Of them, 1,210 are from Thiruvananthpuram alone. A final picture on the CPM cadre who moved to CPI will be available only after all the district conferences of the latter are over.
CPI also increased its membership by around 11,000 in the past one year, adding the highest number of workers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Thrissur districts, party sources said. Though people from many other parties joined, a majority is from CPM. CPI has issued clear instructions not to induct any SDPI member.
“We received people from various parties, including CPM, Congress, BJP, Janata Dal (S), Muslim League and certain factions of Kerala Congress. Though a final figure will be out only after the district conferences are over, initial estimates suggest CPM rebels would constitute more than 50 per cent, or around 6,000, of the total,” said a senior party leader who preferred anonymity.
This has happened in the past too. In fact, the migration created bad blood between the LDF allies in districts like Kannur with their district leaderships openly clashing with each other. The migration may be an indication that at least a section within the Left feels that CPI retains the true characteristics of the Communist party, said the source. “In general, people are impressed with the stance taken by Left parties. Between CPM and CPI, the latter has a more impressive track record and image.
That’s why they prefer to migrate to CPI,” said another senior leader of the party. Though CPI does not flaunt this publicly, it has mentioned this large scale migration from CPM in the organisational reports at its ongoing district conferences. “CPI is naturally the next best choice for a person quitting CPM,” said political commentator J Prabhash.
‘CPI obvious choice for a person quitting CPM’
It need not always be due to ideological issues between CPM and CPI, political commentator J Prabhash said. “For those who desert CPM due to organisational or personal issues, CPI is the obvious choice, as both are Left parties. If such people move to a right wing party, there can be ideological issues. Also, moving to CPI ensures the cadre can continue enjoying the fruits of power,” he said. Meanwhile, in an obvious move to attract CPM rebels, CPI has already decided to give them direct party membership instead of candidate membership as is done in other cases.