Malappuram: Senior CPI leader K.E. Ismail on Friday threatened to quit public life and expose misdeeds of party leaders, if the selective personal attacks on him are not stopped forthwith. In a letter to CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy, Ismail said he was being targeted by a section of state leadership for the past three years and if this witch-hunting didn’t stop he would be forced to go public. The leader was angry over control commission report being included in the political report presented by state secretary Kanam Rajendran.
On Thursday, CPI political report had severely criticized Ismail’s bourgeoisie lifestyle. The differences in the CPI have now come out in the open reaching almost a flash point. Those close to Ismail say the decision to make complaints received by Control Commission, part of political report was extraordinary. By the same yardstick, complaints against Control Commission chairman should also have been included in the report. There is an attempt to isolate him in the party and slight him before the cadre, it is alleged.
In his letter, Ismail is understood to have cited violation of organizational principles including details of control commission report with the political report. This is against the organisational principles as allegations, complaints against individuals are usually not made public at the time of conference and selectively leaked out to media. The CPI leader fears that the attack against him could be part of a conspiracy to ease out leaders close to him from the state council to be elected on Sunday. It is alleged that Kanam Rajendran and his close associates were trying to gain control of the party by cutting opponents to size.
Meanwhile, CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy while refusing to comment on the letter written by K E Ismail, said any issue that is brought before the central leadership is taken up as per party norms. Reddy said he would not be able to comment on such matters in public. With a section of state leadership preparing the ground for disciplinary action against Ismail, the latter is now banking on the central leadership to intervene in the matter.
