Kozhikode, Sep 15 (IANS) The CPI-M Politburo has put its foot down after its Kerala unit’s organisational crisis, ordering a sweeping reshuffle of the state leadership in the wake of the electoral debacle and growing criticism over organisational lapses.
In a significant move, the state Secretariat has been reconstituted with the induction of senior leader P. Jayarajan and former ministers V. Sivankutty and M.B. Rajesh, while T.P. Ramakrishnan and Thomas Isaac have been dropped.
The decisive intervention came on the concluding day of the extended three-day state committee meeting in Kozhikode, where sharp criticism was directed at the state leadership over the party’s electoral reverses and its failure to arrest organisational erosion.
The state committee was also reconstituted, with nine new members, including O.S. Ambika, M. Vijin, Jaick C. Thomas and P.S. Sanjeev, signalling an attempt to bring younger faces into the organisational structure.
The changes assume added significance amid reports that state Secretary M.V. Govindan was censured by the party following criticism over his functioning and certain public statements.
Several representatives reportedly argued that the state Secretary had become distanced from grassroots workers and that some of his statements and his handling of the media had left the party vulnerable to political attacks.
The criticism went beyond individual lapses.
Delegates reportedly pointed to the growing dominance of the government over the party organisation and the weakening of the party’s traditional grassroots machinery.
The electoral setback, they argued, could not be attributed entirely to shortcomings in governance, with organisational inactivity and the failure to maintain the confidence and enthusiasm of party workers also coming under scrutiny.
The return of P. Jayarajan to the state Secretariat is particularly significant.
A prominent Kannur leader identified with the party’s traditional organisational style, his elevation is expected to have implications for the party’s internal equations.
Sivankutty’s induction strengthens the representation of the southern districts, while Rajesh’s elevation brings a younger and articulate leadership face into the top decision-making body.
The restructuring is being seen as an effort to accommodate different sections within the party while simultaneously signalling a generational shift.
It also comes ahead of the organisational elections, making the changes potentially important for the rebuilding of the party from the grassroots upwards.
The Kozhikode meeting has thus emerged as a major turning point for the CPI-M in Kerala, with the Politburo -backed changes clearly indicating that the leadership is no longer willing to leave the organisational crisis unattended.
–IANS
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