CPM, CPI engage in public spat

Thiruvananthapuram: A day after transport minister Thomas Chandy's resignation, knives are out in the ruling LDF with  the CPM and the CPI engaging in public spat over the absence of four ministers from the cabinet meeting on Wednesday. In a scathing editorial in the party mouthpiece   ‘Janayugam,’CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran,  who is also the chief editor of the paper,  said tainted Chandy attending  the cabinet meeting was a violation of democratic norms and all conventions. He also justified the CPI decision to keep its four ministers out of the cabinet meeting. The CPM reacted strongly to  Mr Kanam's accusations. State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan convened a press conference at the AKG centre to describe the CPI decision as  immature and against all norms of coalition dharma. He even hinted that the CPI decision was aimed at claiming the credit for Mr Chandy's resignation which anyway would have taken place after chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked him to step down.

Mr Kodiyeri said the CPI decision to stay out of  the cabinet meeting  only helped the  UDF to train its guns on the government and gave them enough reason to celebrate . He called upon the workers to guard against any attempt to weaken the   LDF unity.   Mr Kanam, however, said that his party had taken a principled stand keeping  with the LDF government's resolve to fight against all forms of political corruption,   including encroachments.    There was no question of his party leaving the front over such matters or moving closer to the UDF. "We are in the forefront to strengthen the LDF," he said. Interestingly,  it was thought the issue pertaining to the cabinet boycott of CPI ministers had ended with  Mr Chandy's resignation. But  Mr Kanam's editorial  triggered a fresh controversy.

Left watchers say the public sparring between the CPM and the CPI was just an exercise to keep their cadres in good humour. Though it may create some animosity, in the longer run both the parties know  well that they need each  other more than anyone else to run the LDF coalition which came into being in 1980. The available CPM politburo in Delhi joined issue describing the CPI decision as "unprecedented" and totally uncalled for. A section of LDF leaders says that  with both the parties having made enough accusations against each other, now it is time to settle the issue and move on. However,  the aftershocks of Chandy episode have already surfaced in Idukki district where battle lines are  drawn between the local leadership of  the CPM and the CPI over encroachment .