Kochi: The ongoing rift between the CPM and the CPI, the two major allies of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), in the coastal area of Vypeen came out in the open on Monday as the two parties held separate protest marches against the BJP-led central government.

The LDF staged protests in all the 140 assembly constituencies in the state against the neglect of Kerala by the Narendra Modi-led Centre in its recent budget. The Left front has also accused the central government of 'ignoring' various demands raised by the state.

The main protest was held in front of Raj Bhavan in the state capital, while similar agitations took place in Assembly constituencies across various districts. CPM Polit Bureau member M A Baby inaugurated the main protest in front of Raj Bhavan while party state secretary M V Govindan led the agitation in Kannur district.

In Vypeen, where CPM’s K N Unnikrishnan is the MLA, the CPM led the agitation excluding the CPI. The CPI, meanwhile, took out a march to the Njarackal Post Office, a central government establishment. The CPI also staged the protest under the banner of LDF. N Arun, state president of the CPI’s youth wing AIYF, inaugurated the march. CPI sources said CPM had unilaterally decided the details of the protests including who should inaugurate the meets.

Vypeen for quite sometime has been witnessing an intense fight between the CPM and CPI with the two parties remaining cut off from each other. The rift intensified when a faction of the CPM, led by Dileep Kumar who was an area committee member of the party, joined the CPI. Dileep went on to become the CPI’s Vypeen mandalam secretary. Senior CPI leader Sivadasan meanwhile joined the CPM.

In Vypeen, the CPI has joined hands with the Congress and defeated the CPM in three cooperative society elections. Though the two parties patched up for the election to the Mulavukad cooperative society and won it, the CPI was miffed again as the CPM took up both the president and vice president posts, a CPI district leader said. He said there has been no solid effort from the leadership of the two parties to resolve the crisis. A CPM district leader also expressed concerns over the potential damage the rift can cause for the LDF in the area in the local body and assembly elections.