In the recent assembly elections, the CPM was shaken by its humiliating defeat in the red citadel of Kannur, especially in Payyanur and Taliparamba where two ex-CPM leaders – V Kunhikrishnan and T K Govindan – openly challenged the party and emerged victorious. In two separate conversations with TNIE, they list out strikingly similar reasons for CPM’s setback: a lack of inner-party democracy, an overarching fear among cadre to speak up, and autocratic tendencies.
Excerpts
You have made a mark in this election by openly challenging the biggest political party in Kerala, fought against them, and emerged victorious...
I had no intention of contesting the elections. The party forced me into this situation. Had the party fielded someone else (other than T I Madhusoodanan), I wouldn’t have even entered the fray. I initiated an inner-party struggle against its degradation for five years. When I was denied justice, I was forced to speak out publicly which in turn led to my expulsion. I contested as a mark of protest. I was hopeful that a large section of people – even within the party – were convinced that the issues I raised were genuine.
You received support from party cadre too...
Yes. I was hopeful of reducing the opponent’s majority. Till the polling day, there was no real expectation of a win. But going by the public reaction after polling, we felt we could win. I had no desire to challenge the party. I fought this battle based on the conviction that the party was heading towards destruction, and it can only survive if mistakes are rectified. If not, what awaits the party is a fate similar to the Bengal unit.
Why do you feel CPM would face a Bengal-like situation?
Across Kerala, the resentment within the party is growing. It just hasn’t erupted yet into an explosion like it did in Bengal. But that could happen any moment. Never before in the history of the party have we seen people in leadership positions challenging the party. Till now, ordinary members were not ready to speak out due to fear. I believe my candidacy helped dispel that fear.
What’s the reason for that fear?
If people in the party want to achieve something, they must please the leadership. Therefore, they end up as ‘yes-men’. If ordinary members and the leadership at the grassroots level oppose the party’s stand, they are threatened. It escalates to a point where they cannot even live safely. Subjugating people through fear is a fascist method. That is what CPM practices today.
You mean the CPM follows a fascist approach?
It isn’t that they follow a fascist line, but right now it’s moving towards autocracy. Today, the party has reached a state where inner-party democracy is absent and only democratic centralism is practised. Under normal circumstances, there’s collective leadership in the party. Now, open discussions don’t happen. One person’s decision is either enforced or blindly accepted. That smacks of fascism.
After this electoral defeat, has the state of fear within the ranks changed?
I don’t think it has changed significantly. However, at the grassroots level – including in district committees and all lower bodies -- intense criticism has risen in a way never seen before. So, in that sense, a small change has definitely occurred.
This phenomenon you term ‘fear’, did it start after Pinarayi Vijayan took over as the party secretary?
Among old-generation leaders up to Chadayan Govindan, if there was a mistake, it was rectified. But from the Pinarayi era... from the time he became the secretary.... the only corrective force was VS (Achuthanandan). But factionalism within the party reached a point where VS stood sidelined. I have always been someone who criticised mistakes within the party, whether it was factionalism or deliberate attempts to isolate VS.
So, do you think once Pinarayi is replaced, issues within the CPM will be addressed?
An individual is not the issue. The party structure itself has adapted to this mindset. It isn’t just Pinarayi’s fault. The party leadership must have the power to regulate the person in power. Only then can they correct him. Even if Pinarayi is replaced, what guarantee is there that it won’t be the same?
Don’t you think CPM too should adapt to the changing times?
There’s nothing wrong with adapting to the times. But the party cannot survive without upholding core Communist values. If amendments are needed in organisational principles, the party must call a plenum and implement changes collectively. It shouldn’t happen based on an individual’s whim. Today, the changes we see are leading the party down a wrong path.
There’s a narrative that a ‘good party’ has fallen into the hands of a few ‘bad individuals’...
That position isn’t entirely accurate, but that’s what appears to be happening on the surface. It’s the party that matters above everything else. After Pinarayi came to power, the party had no control over the government. It reached a state where Pinarayi decided everything. In a communist party, the secretary is supposed to be above the chief minister. When the government makes mistakes, the party must correct.
When you stayed away from the party, did anyone from Congress contact you?
No political party came forward to support me or even approach me. I decided to contest entirely due to persuasion by the people, including those within the CPM, who aligned with the issues I had raised and wanted someone with a principled stance.
In Payyanur, a collective called ‘Jagratha Payyanur’ was recently formed...
When we contested this election, ‘Jagratha’ was the name we used. That ‘Jagratha’ is still a loose motley of people. We have now initiated a discussion to give it an organisational structure. There is absolutely no plan to form a political party.
Does this mean you have no intention of returning to the CPM?
It’s for the CPM to decide because they are the ones who expelled me. If they decide to take me back... well, we can cross that bridge when we get to it. I don’t believe they will ever do so.
After expulsion, did you face any kind of boycott or ostracism?
Absolutely. People within the party are hesitant to interact with me. Many are reluctant to even come to my house. People are hesitant to come or talk to me openly. That’s out of fear of repercussions. People still invite me to weddings, but invitations to public functions have dropped drastically.
Major allegations cropped up in the Payyanur area committee meeting that some leaders secretly helped you…
I had no backing whatsoever. There are many people within the party — both then and now — who are fully convinced that the issues I raised are genuine. There’s an effort by a section of people... those close to T I Madhusoodanan.... to disband the area committee. Dissenting opinions, strong sentiments, and opposing views against him are now being expressed openly. The move is to completely silence internal opposition.
Who is the real force behind Madhusoodanan?
There’s a central committee member backing him. I won’t reveal the name.
Did you take up your allegation against Madhusoodanan with the party secretary?
I went to Thiruvananthapuram solely to talk about this matter, spoke directly to the then secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, convinced him, and even gave it in writing.
Did you raise it with Pinarayi?
Pinarayi knows about it. I have never spoken to Pinarayi about it.
Many people say if Kodiyeri was alive, the party wouldn’t have faced these issues in Kannur…
The Communist Party is not an individual. It is collective leadership. That is what’s lost now.
Had someone other than Madhusoodanan contested for the party, would CPM have won?
They would have won because there wouldn’t have been such a massive drain of party votes.
If Pinarayi hadn’t contested this time, would LDF’s fate have been different?
May have been… My criticism is about how the leadership implements its decisions. They set an age limit of 75 years; why grant exemptions then? When you say someone above 75 cannot function effectively at the organisational level, how can you argue they are fit to run the government?
Those who leave the CPM alleging rightist deviation seem to end up in the UDF camp…
Survival is the issue. In Kerala, there are only two fronts now. It is due to LDF’s weakening that the extreme right is strengthening. That’s how they came to power in Bengal. There are many who believe that, had T P Chandrasekharan associated with the UDF in the initial stage itself, he wouldn’t have been killed.
Some say the CPM in Kerala is treading the path of its West Bengal counterpart…
If they rectify their mistakes, a comeback is possible. If not, there’s absolutely no chance of a comeback. I personally don’t believe they are ready to rectify anything.
To prevent Kerala CPM from facing the same fate as in Bengal or Tripura, what do you suggest?
I don’t wish for the party to be destroyed at all. A correction document was approved by the central committee. The very people who erred are the ones
explaining the same at lower levels. Subservience rules the day. Enabling the cadre to speak out openly is imperative.
There are many who believe that communism itself has become outdated...
I don’t think so. Communism is very much relevant in today’s society.
TNIE team: Cithara Paul, M P Prashanth, Anil S, K S Sreejith B P Deepu, Albin Mathew (photos)