CPI upset about CM’s association with Vellappally

The State Council meeting of the Communist Party of India (CPI) on Tuesday reckoned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s close association with Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan as one of the reasons for the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) sub-par performance in the recently concluded local body elections.

The meeting took strong exception to Mr. Natesan’s communally charged statements at frequent intervals even as he was seen alongside Mr. Vijayan at public events and concluded that this might have contributed to a consolidation of Muslim votes against the Left front. Although Mr. Vijayan had asserted a few days ago that he did not deem it necessary to have a rethink about his association with Mr. Natesan, the CPI categorically suggested that the matter needed a relook and correction.

Discussions also focussed on Mr. Vijayan’s style of functioning, with some leaders feeling it lacked a sense of collective unity. The grievance was that the Chief Minister often tended to function like a supremo.

While there was general appreciation among the masses for the government’s programmes and schemes, some participants pointed out a growing discontent—even among Left intellectuals and sympathisers—over the government ‘deviating’ from the Leftist path.

Criticism was also levelled at the way the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] responded to the arrests of its leaders in the Sabarimala gold theft case. One leader observed that the Left front should have shown greater political maturity in handling the issue instead of adopting a mere wait-and-watch approach.

The meeting emphasised the need for serious introspection to understand why the people had given the Left the short shrift despite the government’s strong performance on many fronts.

The CPI acknowledged that it, too, had underperformed in several regions. The party decided to examine its own shortcomings to overcome them and strengthen the Left front ahead of the Assembly polls in 2026.