Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Communal polarisation of Muslim votes in favour of Congress, BJP gaining Hindu-Ezhava and Christian votes and fund crunches caused by the centre were some of the reasons listed by the CPI(M) in Kerala for the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha election. The Left-front in the state secured one seat out of the 20 seats up for grabs in the state.
Amidst reports that there were criticisms within the party over Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan government's style of functioning, CPM state secretary M V Govindan said that there was no such issue. He also added that attempts to attack Pinarayi will be strongly resisted.
Admitting that the party failed in understanding the sentiment of the people, especially the issues like defaulting the social welfare pension to over 60 lakh people, Govindan said the party will take steps to regain the trust of the mass. A series of meetings of party workers led by senior leaders like general secretary Sitaram Yechury and former general secretary Prakash Karat will be organised in the state for this.
Addressing the media after the five-day-long party leadership meetings in Thiruvananthapuram to review the election performance, Govindan said Muslim communal outfits like the SDPI, Popular Front of India and Jamaat-e-Islami stood with the Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) during the elections. Moreover, in the context of national politics, Congress, which leads the I.N.D.I.A. bloc is at a better position than the CPM in fighting the BJP. This factor also helped the Congress in Kerala.
He flayed the leader of Hindu-Ezhava outfit SNDP Yogam, which is supposed to follow the secular ideologies of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, for backing the Sangh Parivar forces. The BJP managed to influence SNDP Yogam leadership, especially its general secretary Vellappally Natesan, through BDJS, which is a coalition partner of the saffron party in Kerala and headed by Natesan's son Thushar Vellappally, Govindan added.
Govindan said the BJP could gain a section of Christian votes, too, as some bishops could be seen attending BJP's functions. This could be due to issues of foreign funding they face and this has also led to the Congress losing over 80,000 votes in Thrissur, where BJP won the maiden seat from Kerala.
Adding that the CPM had faced a similar defeat in the 2019 election and the party could come back to power in 2021, Govindan said the present gains by the Congress in many assembly segments in the Lok Sabha polls need not be considered as a trend in their favour.
The CPM will continue to keep all secular forces together and fight against the communal forces that aim for theocratic state. The growth of BJP in Kerala is also an issue that needs to be addressed, Govindan said.
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