CPI district conference makes an unvarnished stock taking of the party, government and LDF

The Hindu

a day ago

CPI's Thiruvananthapuram district conference, which concluded here on Saturday, was reportedly a venue for an unvarnished stock taking of the party's performance in government and also as the second most powerful entity in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
According to some accounts, party delegates at the conference called for increased assertiveness as a transformative force within the LDF. They also emphasised the importance of countering the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) propaganda, which claimed that the CPI frequently acquiesced to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) 's [CPI(M)] line on various issues.
According to sources privy to the closed-door conference, some delegates reportedly cautioned against being publicly critical of those at the apex of the LDF government, given the ruling front's no-holds-barred political bid to retain power for a third term in the 2026 Assembly elections.
They said the conference was also a critical appraisal of the performance and positions of LDF Ministers, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Some supposedly cautioned against the electoral perils of the top political executive appearing absolutist.
'Some criticisms were deemed subjective and dismissed. However, a spirit of evaluation dominated the process, intending to identify and rectify mistakes to improve performance rather than apportioning blame to individual leaders and Ministers', he said.
CPI delegates reportedly lauded Agriculture Minister P Prasad's 'informed opposition' to commandeering ecologically sensitive wetlands for the Aranmula project and not the scheme per se.
According to an insider, delegates criticised Animal Husbandry Minister and CPI leader, J. Chinchurani, for making an overhasty statement, which gave room to the UDF and BJP to misconstrue it as an attempt to blame the victim of the accidental electrocution of a 13-year-old student, Midhun, at the Thevalakkara Higher Secondary Boys High School in Kollam.
Moreover, the conference reportedly lauded Food and Civil Supplies G. R. Anil's market interventions to control inflation, given the constraint of funds and 'hostile media scrutiny'.
It demanded that the department exercise more vigilance to ensure price regulation of groceries and their availability at Supplyco stores during the upcoming Onam shopping season.
Some delegates noted that the CPI had opposed the CPI(M)'s alleged attempt to infer malfeasance in Dr Haris Chirackal's social media admissions about the non-availability of critical surgical devices at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital's Department of Urology.
They also noted that CPI Ministers routinely raised the party's view at cabinet meetings, including airing reservations about the liquor policy, specific components of which party members felt jeopardised the toddy sector.
The CPI had also made its stance clear on the controversy centred around former Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, M. R. Ajith Kumar and cautioned that any bid to defend the officer accused of 'disrupting the Thrissur Pooram to aid the BJP in the 2024 Thrissur Lok Sabha elections would not augur well for the LDF government's public image.