
Nilambur debacle not a verdict against govt: CPM
T'puram:
CPM
state secretary M V Govindan said LDF candidate M Swaraj's defeat in Nilambur byelection was not a verdict against the
Pinarayi Vijayan
govt. In an article published in the party's mouthpiece Deshabhimani, he said CPM got its core votes in the constituency and attempts to project UDF's victory as something phenomenal were far-fetched.
Govindan said CPM would undertake a self-introspection to ascertain why Swaraj failed to win the byelection and if required, the party would take corrective steps and move on, he said. "LDF will confidently face the local body polls at the end of this year and the assembly election scheduled next year. Communists and Left parties view elections as part of their political struggle," he said.
Govindan said LDF's prospects to retain power in the next assembly election were not linked to Nilambur bypoll.
In the article, he said LDF fought Nilambur byelection focusing on development and secularism. He claimed that LDF took a strong stand against communal forces. "This struggle doesn't end with a setback. It will continue in future," he said.
Govindan said it would be wrong to say that Nilambur debacle shook LDF's base. UDF used to win Nilambur since it was formed in 1965. CPM candidates won elections only twice. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi won polls in Wayanad with the support of Jamaat-e-Islami, the Indian version of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. This is not good when the opposition parties in India are engaged in the fight against communal forces, he said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India Today
10 minutes ago
- India Today
India urges merit-based visa process as US mandates 5-year social media disclosure
The Indian government has responded to recent US visa requirements mandating that applicants disclose all social media platforms they have used over the past five years. The response came after a series of advisories from the US Embassy in India outlining the tightening of visa regulations, citing national security US Embassy in India issued a fresh advisory on June 26, 2025, informing that all visa applicants must provide usernames or handles for every social media platform used in the past five years when filling out the DS-160 form. Failure to do so, the embassy warned, could result in visa denial and ineligibility for future are required to declare that the information in their application is true and complete before submission. On June 23, the embassy further requested that F, M, or J category visa seekers, primarily students and exchange visitors, switch their social media accounts to the public to help authorities verify their identity and admissibility under US every visa adjudication as a 'national security decision', the US has been using all available data for screening digital posters shared by the embassy reiterated the message, stating that 'The United States requires visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on visa forms' and that 'all available information is used in screening and vetting.'INDIA CALLS FOR FAIR TREATMENTReacting to the new developments, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing in New Delhi that visa and immigration matters fall under the sovereign rights of each he added that India has taken note of the updated US guidelines and believes that 'all visa applications of Indian nationals should be treated on the basis of merit.'He assured that India remains in close engagement with the US on all matters related to mobility and consular services to safeguard the legitimate interests of Indian CONTEXT OF VISA ENFORCEMENTThe stricter visa scrutiny comes against the backdrop of a broader immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, as part of enforcement measures under the Trump administration. On June 24, the embassy stated that individuals violating immigration laws could face detention, deportation, and long-term visa advisories earlier this month, the US Embassy stressed that a visa is 'a privilege, not a right', warning that even legal visa holders can have their visas revoked for breaking US laws or using illegal June 16, the embassy added that new visa restrictions had been introduced for foreign government officials and violators, asserting that the US 'will not tolerate' illegal or mass immigration, nor the misuse of its visa system.(With PTI inputs)- Ends


India Today
10 minutes ago
- India Today
Donald Trump hints at trade agreement with India, confirms China deal signed
22:05 This episode of Newstrack covers Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary. At 33, Mamdani is set to become the first Muslim and Indian-origin mayor of NYC.


Indian Express
18 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Indian fishermen getting arrested in Sri Lanka due to pact inked during Emergency: S Jaishankar
Weighing in on the impact of the Emergency on India's foreign policy, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday that Indian fishermen have been getting arrested by Sri Lankan authorities due to an agreement made by the then government with the neighbouring country. 'At the time, several big decisions would be taken without a debate. These days, there is a discussion about our fishermen going to Sri Lanka and getting arrested there. That is because of an agreement signed with Sri Lanka at the time of Emergency, under which the rights of the fishermen to fish in some part of Sri Lankan waters were given up by us,' he said. Jaishankar's statement comes at a time when the DMK government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu has repeatedly written to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), raising concerns about the issue, seeking the Centre's intervention to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of Indian fishermen. As per government data, Sri Lanka arrested more than 528 Indian fishermen in 2024. 'If it was not for an Emergency Parliament, if Parliament at the time was a genuine Parliament, there would have been a debate and I do not know if the Parliament would have allowed such an agreement,' he said, adding, 'The decisions taken at the time still show their impact in the state of Tamil Nadu'. The state is expected to go to polls early next year. Jaishankar was addressing the inaugural session of a mock Parliament organised by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, during which he also recalled that during the Emergency, the opposition side of the Parliament was empty as leaders were jailed. On the 50th anniversary of the imposition of the Emergency, Jaishankar took aim at the Congress on Friday, stating that one family's interests were placed above the nation. 'All this happened because of one family… There is a movie titled 'Kissa Kursi Ka'… these three words aptly tell the reason behind the imposition of the Emergency. When a family is considered above the nation, things like the Emergency take place,' Jaishankar said. He said that at the time, he was a 20-year-old student at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the biggest lesson from the Emergency was to never take one's freedom for granted. 'During the Emergency, the Opposition side of Parliament was empty. Leaders were jailed. This will never happen. I want to tell you what the biggest lesson is from the Emergency: Never take your freedom for granted. I was 20 years old when the Emergency was imposed. I was in JNU. People who are not aware of the Emergency, they think it was a political matter. But it impacted a way of life,' Jaishankar said. He said that the Emergency was imposed to 'break the morale of the country and the society'. 'Many people, who were not even in politics, were impacted. Those who were in politics were well aware that doing politics meant an inevitable arrest, and those who were arrested were unaware if and when they would be released,' Jaishankar added. Jaishankar said that 48 ordinances were passed during the Emergency period, followed by five amendments. He noted that the 38th amendment was regarding the declaration of the Emergency, and the 39th was on challenging the election of the Prime Minister in court. 'During the Emergency, 48 ordinances were passed. Just imagine, in two years, 48 ordinances and five amendments. Among these, three amendments were particularly significant. One was the 38th Amendment, which stated that you cannot challenge the declaration of Emergency in court. The 39th Amendment said that the Prime Minister's election could not be challenged in court and the 42nd Amendment allowed the dilution of fundamental rights and curtailed the powers of the courts,' he said. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More