Kannur: MV Jayarajan, the former CPM district secretary and LDF candidate in Lok Sabha elections from Kannur, has denounced pro-left social media groups, including 'Porali Shaji'. Jayarajan stated that many groups that looked to be left-wing on social media have been compromised. He added that the party suffered during the general election as youngsters solely relied on social media for information.

Jayarajan contested lost to KPCC President K Sudhakaran by 1,08,982 votes in the Lok Sabha election. The success of the Congress, even in traditional left strongholds like Kannur, Vadagara and Alappuzha, came as a shock to the ruling CPM.

"The recent trend of youth increasingly relying on social media for information has led to skepticism towards the Left in this election. Party workers and committed leftists must understand one crucial aspect. Many so-called left-leaning groups on social media have been compromised," Jayarajan said.

"Porali Shaji, Chenkota, and Chenkathir — when we see posts favouring the Left regularly in these groups, we tend to trust them. However, the current reality is that such groups are being bought off. Sometimes, the admins of these groups are just one individual. They are being paid off."

"Once bought, the content of these groups may change drastically from their original stance. Anti-left and anti-CPM sentiments start surfacing. This presents a significant challenge for us in this new digital age," he remarked.

Jayarajan, who is responsible for giving leads to Left's social media handles, was speaking to reporters after his WhatsApp message became controversial. He had sent a message to party workers directing everyone to post comments given to them in capsule forms. Jayarajan clarified that he had merely asked CPM workers to bring to light the fake campaigns against the party on social media.

Social media groups like Red Army and Porali Shaji, which post pro-Left content, have contributed to bringing the internal slugfest among Left leaders online. Some of these groups recently posted content favoring P Jayarajan during his conflict with EP Jayarajan.