Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 28 (IANS) The wrangling over the post of Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Kerala has reached a crescendo, with leaders of the CPI and CPI-M engaged in an increasingly open war of words, forcing LDF Convenor T.P. Ramakrishnan to step in on Friday with an appeal for restraint and an assurance that efforts were on to settle the dispute through discussions.
Ramakrishnan said leaders should exercise moderation in their public statements and maintained that differences within the front should be resolved through talks.
His intervention is being viewed in political circles as an attempt to contain an escalation that could prove embarrassing for the CPI-M, particularly with an extended meeting of its state committee scheduled to be held in Kozhikode next month.
“The problems have to be resolved through discussions. Efforts to find a solution are continuing,” Ramakrishnan said.
He also said former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s earlier remarks on the issue were based on a decision already taken by the front, while making it clear that the CPI-M’s official position should be articulated by its state Secretary.
The immediate trigger for the dispute was the CPI’s demand for the Deputy Leader of the Opposition post following the Left’s electoral debacle.
CPI state Secretary Binoy Viswam’s public assertion that his party would not relinquish the position was subsequently rejected by Vijayan, turning what had been an internal arrangement into an increasingly public confrontation.
The bitterness has now spilled onto social media, where the CPI’s political history is being invoked to sharpen the attack.
Posts point to instances in the 1970s when CPI leaders became Chief Minister with the support of the Congress, adding a historical dimension to the current face-off between the two Communist parties.
The CPI-M’s concern is that a prolonged confrontation could further expose the fault lines within the Left at a politically sensitive juncture.
The party is already grappling with the fallout of its worst electoral setback, while Vijayan’s political standing has taken a beating.
The Enforcement Directorate’s scrutiny of his daughter Veena has added to the pressure surrounding the former Chief Minister.
Against this backdrop, Ramakrishnan’s intervention could also be read as a climb-down aimed at preventing the CPI dispute from acquiring a larger political dimension before the extended state committee meeting.
The CPI-M is keen to avoid another round of public sparring with its oldest ally, particularly when the party is yet to fully recover from the electoral setback.
But the CPI’s insistence on the Deputy Leader’s post has ensured that an issue that could once have been settled behind closed doors is now playing out in full public view.
–IANS
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