THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Caught off guard by the PR agency row, the CPM finds itself in a quandary over explaining its position. According to insiders, ‘over enthusiasm from certain corners’ led to the whole flip-flop regarding the interview given by the chief minister. Even as Opposition UDF renewed its attack on the chief minister, an array of senior leaders and ministers came out in support of Pinarayi on Wednesday. With both the CPM and CPI leadership meets set to begin on Thursday, the party wants to put an end to the row without further delay.
Putting the CPM and the Left government further on the defensive, fresh revelations are pointing to the role played by some party leaders in the interview fiasco. With reports coming out that CPM leader and ex-MLA T K Devakumar’s son Subrahmaniam was the PR personnel present during the CM’s interview, the party was left red-faced. Despite attempts, both Devakumar and Subramaniam were unavailable for comments.
Though a section in the CPM is unhappy with the way the PR controversy was handled by the Chief Minister’s Office, the party is all set to defend Pinarayi in the wake of an all-out attack against him by the Opposition. According to a section in the party, the CMO wasted the golden hours, as swift intervention, soon after the interview came out, would have avoided such a mess. If a press release was issued disowning the misquoted remarks related to Malappuram, the misinterpretation should have been avoided, said sources.
“This was an unwanted controversy”, an insider in the CPM told TNIE. “The office should have issued a press release soon after the news was published. Any national media would be always eager to get a CM’s interview,” he pointed out.
The CPM has now decided to put off the fire by downplaying the PR controversy. “The CM and the CPM do not need the help of any PR agency to give an interview or make a statement”, a senior CPM leader told TNIE. “As soon as the newspaper admitted the error on its part, the controversy ended. The CM didn’t make any mention about Malappuram in bad taste. The CPM has nothing to do with any PR agency. The said agency itself has denied all the allegations”, he said.
Meanwhile, a number of senior CPM leaders and ministers came out defending Pinarayi. Terming such reports false, minister V Sivankutty said the CM does not require any PR. “The CPM did not grow with the support of any PR agency. Such claims won’t be taken seriously by the people,” he said adding that such false narratives were merely media creations.
Responding to the media in Kannur, minister Mohamed Riyas echoed the same sentiment. He, however, did not respond to a question whether legal action would be taken against the newspaper. “If the CM has something to say to the people, there is no need for an intermediary. Leftist politicians will say whatever we want, regardless of media propaganda,” said Riyas.
The minister asked if there is anything to hide, why should the CMO send a letter to the newspaper. “If you want to destroy the Left, you’ll have to destroy our head. That is why the chief minister is being attacked. The party will strongly resist such attacks,” said Riyas adding that Jamaat-e-Islami was behind the Malappuram row. He added that further response will be given by the CM and his office.
CPM Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas too rejected reports on the PR agency. “The CM has been travelling to Delhi for long. Don’t you know whether the CM has a PR agency or not?” he asked. Meanwhile, some CPM leaders came out supporting the use of public relations in politics. State committee member P Sreeramakrishnan in his FB post questioned claims to avoid PR work in present times.