CPM Central Committee blames Kerala leadership for election defeat, calls for corrective measures

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM Central Committee has said the party's Kerala leadership must take responsibility for its heavy defeat in the Assembly elections. Its review report also alleged that the state leadership failed to rectify the shortcomings that contributed to the electoral setback. The state committee's review report had earlier blamed district committees for lapses in candidate selection. However, the Central Committee said the state leadership cannot escape responsibility by shifting the blame to the district committees. It said the responsibility for lapses, including candidate selection, rests with the state leadership.

The report said the mistakes in selecting candidates in Taliparamba and Payyannur cannot be attributed solely to the district committees. It added that criticism within the party over tickets being allotted to relatives had become a major setback.

The Central Committee also pointed out that although the party leadership had directed disciplinary action against A. Padmakumar, a Pathanamthitta district committee member, in connection with the Sabarimala gold fraud case, the state leadership failed to act. It said the delay in taking action became a political weapon for the UDF. The report further said the party failed to counter the campaign that the Global Ayyappa Summit was a government programme.

It also criticised the reading out of a message from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Ayyappa Summit, saying it was against the party's policies. The report said the leadership failed to carry out an effective political campaign in Kerala and that organisational weaknesses became evident during the elections.

According to the report, the party also failed to counter the Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami's campaign alleging a CPM-BJP deal. As a result, minority communities moved away from the Left, it said. The report also noted that the party failed to address growing dissatisfaction among the working class.

Extended state committee meeting from September 11
Following the election defeat, the CPM state secretariat has decided to hold an extended state committee meeting from September 11 to 13 at the Kozhikode district committee office to discuss corrective measures.

In addition to state committee members, the meeting will be attended by district secretariat members and the state presidents and secretaries of the party's class and mass organisations. A proposal has also been made to invite area secretaries to the meeting. A final decision on the proposal will be taken at the state committee meeting scheduled for today.