Kozhikode , 13 September (H.S.): Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI) leader and MLA K K Rema has asked the CPM leadership to publicly acknowledge what she described as its role in the murder of her husband and dissident communist leader T P Chandrasekharan before discussing corrective measures for the party's political and organisational failures.

Her criticism came as the CPM's extended Kerala State Committee meeting was underway in Kozhikode to review the party's electoral setback and discuss measures to address its organisational weaknesses. Rema made the remarks in a Facebook post.

She alleged that CPM leaders had conspired to murder Chandrasekharan because he consistently questioned the party leadership's political and organisational decisions and supported struggles against corruption and policy betrayals within the organisation.

According to Rema, Chandrasekharan had backed the political campaigns undertaken by former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, social critic M N Vijayan and others against what they viewed as corruption and ideological deviations by the CPM leadership. She claimed that his refusal to compromise and his continued criticism of the leadership ultimately led to his killing.

Chandrasekharan, a former CPM leader who later founded the Revolutionary Marxist Party, was hacked to death at Onchiyam in Kozhikode district in May 2012. His murder triggered widespread political outrage in Kerala and became one of the most controversial political killings in the State's history.

Rema described the killing of Chandrasekharan as an irreversible wrong committed against a courageous communist on the soil of Kozhikode district.

She questioned whether the CPM leadership possessed the political honesty to admit the mistake before Kerala's wider society, even after more than a decade.

Her remarks have once again brought the politically sensitive murder case into focus at a time when the CPM leadership is reviewing its recent failures and considering measures to rebuild public confidence and strengthen the party organisation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman