Kochi, 06 May (H.S):
Veteran Left fellow-traveller and former MP Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on CPM leader and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, holding him solely responsible for the Left Democratic Front’s defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections. He said the electoral verdict in Kerala was not against the CPM as a party, but specifically against Pinarayi Vijayan and his style of functioning.
Speaking to reporters, Sebastian Paul said the LDF’s campaign in the election revolved around a single individual rather than the coalition or the party’s collective leadership. According to him, the Left sought a third consecutive term not for the LDF as a political front, but for one person. “What happened in Kerala was a clear verdict against Pinarayi Vijayan. The people delivered a decisive judgment without leaving any room for doubt,” he said.
The former MP alleged that an authoritarian culture had developed within the party under Pinarayi Vijayan’s leadership. He said even the language and public behaviour of the former Chief Minister were not suitable for a democratic leader. Sebastian Paul added that the CPM leadership failed to impose restraint on Pinarayi Vijayan despite repeated controversial remarks against political opponents and the media.
He also questioned whether the party structure still had any effective control over the former Chief Minister. Referring to the period after the death of senior CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Sebastian Paul said the traditional communist model of a Chief Minister functioning under party discipline had weakened considerably. “At times, one even wonders whether the party secretary exists anymore,” he remarked.
Sebastian Paul further stated that while he did not consider the LDF government’s administration entirely poor, the public backlash was directed at the concentration of unchecked power in one leader. He argued that voters rejected arrogance, intolerance towards criticism, and confrontational political language.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee defeating the CPM in West Bengal after decades of Left rule, Sebastian Paul warned that prolonged dominance and centralised leadership could damage the party’s future in Kerala as well.
He also advised Pinarayi Vijayan not to take up the post of Leader of the Opposition, saying a leader accustomed to unquestioned authority may find it difficult to function as the head of a minority in the Assembly. However, he expressed hope that the CPM could still recover if it became more democratic, open to criticism, and willing to reform itself.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
