CPI puts big brother CPM in a spot, says 'underworld connection' in Kannur insult to red flag

Falling just short of explicitly accusing its political brethren CPM of failing the Left movement, the CPI has issued a strong statement in the wake of the underworld allegations linked to CPM strongman P Jayarajan.

CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said on Saturday that the "Left families cannot tolerate the knowledge that the people who pretend to be protectors of the movement are agents of the underworld".

The statement comes at a time when the CPM, the party of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has been embroiled in a controversy raised by former DYFI activist Manu Thomas, who has accused Jayarajan's son Jain Raj of controlling a gang involved in illegal gold business. Jayarajan is CPM's Kannur district secretary and is highly influential within the party.

"The news coming out of Kannur is hurtful for those associated with the communist movement. It is a land that bears the history of Kayyoor, Karivellur and Thillankeri. For stories of gold smuggling and underworld connections coming out of there is an insult to the red flag," the CPI statement read.

The CPI has been on the offensive since the Left Democratic Front (LDF) suffered a heavy defeat in the recent Lok Sabha polls. The LDF which had been trumped 19 to one in the 2019 polls, could not improve on its tally in the most recent General Elections and has had to suffer the ignominy of having the same number of seats as the BJP-led NDA in Kerala. BJP's Suresh Gopi winning from Thrissur was an unprecedented success for the NDA in the southern state while the state-ruling LDF couldn't gain ground.

The CPM, which contested from 15 of the 20 constituencies, could only win one while its strongest ally, the CPI sought a mandate from four seats. Following the election debacle, a few district committees of the CPI even demanded the resignation of CM Vijayan. With this latest development, the CPI has put the CPM in a spot. Referring to the people accused of underworld links in Kannur, Viswam said: "Such people have played a huge role in the setback suffered by our movement. These people force the public to ponder if the Left has deviated from its proclaimed ideologies. The Left Front can regain people's trust and advance only by deliberately alienating itself from such people.

"The communist movement is duty-bound to do justice to the lakhs and lakhs of people that have put faith in it. Their faith and loyalty are paramount for communists. Those who pay obeisance to the underworld have betrayed the Left front. Time has lapsed to proclaim that they deserve no forgiveness. The CPI will forever respect the emotions, thoughts and faith of the public."