THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of resentment within the CPM over the assembly poll defeat, dissent has been brewing within the Left front too. Unlike in the past, CPI has openly come out against the CPM leadership, especially against Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan and state secretary M V Govindan indicating that the deadlock may continue for long.
With the CPM and the CPI locked in a bitter fight over the post of deputy leader of opposition, the LDF meeting has been delayed indefinitely. Such a long delay in convening the LDF and the LDF parliamentary party meetings have had minor parties in the front too voicing their dissent.
With the delay in LDF meeting, the opposition front is unable to hold major protests against the UDF government. At a time when the opposition should have taken up many issues against the government, internal fight within the Left has now become a hurdle in the way of organising joint agitations by different Left parties. Though youth and student organisations of the CPM and the CPI have been taking out protest marches individually, there have been no joint agitations yet.
The LDF meeting was scheduled to convene on June 15. “With the tussle over deputy LoP going on, the meeting could not be convened. We have asked the LDF convener to hold the meeting without delay. There are no dearth of issues as the government is mired in controversy over a slew of issues like PM SHRI, low alcohol liquor, State Election Commissioner appointment, pleader appointment and Vizhinjam port stake. But we were unable to corner the UDF over the same,” said a senior Left leader.
Notably the fight between the CPM and the CPI has reached a flashpoint as CPI leaders have started openly challenging Pinarayi and CPM leadership. Hours after Pinarayi remarked that the issue of deputy LoP was a closed chapter, CPI assistant secretary P P Suneer came out in the open questioning whether it was the former’s individual opinion or that of the CPM’s.
The CPM maintains that going by practice, the party has been holding the positions of the LoP and deputy LoP for long. The CPI, however, feels that it’s time the LDF changed some of these age-old practices and brought in a new system which would help inject a new lease of life to the Left front.
