Thiruvananthapuram: Gujarat dalit leader Jignesh Mevani’s refusal to attend CPM led Pattikka Jathi Samithi "Swabhimana Sangamam" in Kannur on September 21 has come as a major embarrassment for the Marxists. Earlier, Jignesh had accepted the invite from Kannur district unit of PKS. However, later he changed informed about his inconvenience to attend the meet through Facebook post. “I was invited to this program a few days back and I agreed to attend the program after I was told that it is not affiliated with any political party. But it was brought to my notice by my friends in Kerala that PKS is a frontal organisation of CPI (M),” he said.
Mevani said as an Ambedkarite he had serious reservations with the CPM work and ideology in Kerala and elsewhere. He condemned the treatment meted out to auto driver Chitralekha by CPM workers. “I am with her in her struggle,” he said adding that he would prefer to be invited by any Ambedkarite group or other progressive groups in Kerala for whom fighting caste is top most priority. Meanwhile, PKS state secretary and Rajya Sabha MP K. Somaprasad said Jignesh had been misled by anti-communists.
“CPM workers are there in the PKS but it is not a front organisation of the party. Anyone can be part of our organisation. Jignesh has the right to accept or decline our request. But his observations regarding CPM stand on dalits was incorrect,” he said. "I want to write to Jignesh to remove his misconceptions about CPM position on dalit issues. We acknowledge his valiant fight in Gujarat and the massive march he led to Una. We wanted to honour him and others who had withstood the Sangh attack,” Somaprasad said.
The PKS leader said Chitralekha issue was not related to caste discrimination but a trade union problem. “Whenever a new auto driver comes to a new stand he or she faces similar resistance from others,” he maintained. But politically, Jignesh’s refusal to attend CPM meet hints at the growing discord between the Left and Ambedkarites in the country.
