Comrades defeat CPM bid to appease NRI

The Kerala CPI(M) leadership’s bid to appease a Padmashree-winner NRI industrialist by bringing party workers in huge numbers to a reception accorded to him at Chavara in Kollam was defeated by grassroots workers and local level leaders, who defied an official circular demanding mobilization of workers for the event.

State-level party leaders indicated that action against several local leaders was possible for defying the official circular issued in connection with the civic reception accorded to industrialist Ravi Pillai for felicitating him on winning the Padmashree title.

But local level leaders in Chavara said they would petition to the higher committees if any move was initiated against them. They alleged that a State committee member, “on instructions from a Politbureau member”, was trying to misuse the party machinery to appease the industrialist “with a big show of loyalty to him”. “From when did the CPI(M) become such close friends of industrialists?” a party local committee member in Chavara asked.

He said Binish Kodiyeri, son of Kerala Home Minister and CPI(M) Politbureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, was working as vice-president in a company run by Pillai in Dubai. “Obviously, some people in the State committee wanted to express their loyalty to Kodiyeri, his son, Pillai or to all three by misusing the party machinery to mobilize people to fill the reception venue. We just couldn’t allow this,” he said.

The Chavara unit of the CPI(M) had met earlier to discuss how the reception could be made a huge success by bringing as many party workers and supporters as possible to it. The meeting, presided over by State committee member MK Bhaskaran took a decision in this regard and an official circular was issued for mobilizing at least 1,250 persons to attend the event. However, the local leaders and workers stayed away from the programme to defy the circular, disappointing the leadership.

Stiff protests have come up in the local units of the CPI(M) in Kollam district over the developments in Chavara. “We have nothing against industrialist Pillai. We even respect him for giving employment to so many people. But how come it is an obligation on the part of the Marxist party to appease him by filling the venue of the reception with party comrades?” asked the local committee member. “We want the matter discussed by the State committee and secretariat and get an explanation from Bhaskaran,” he said.

The party workers are also irked by the active participation of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan himself in the programme. They pointed out that it was quite strange to see the Home Minister, who was normally to have no role in a local event like that. “The presence of NK Premachandran (Water Resources Minister) could be justified because he hails form the locality. But Kodiyeri has no connection with the area and this was not a function for a Politbureau member. It was all right if the Industries Minister was there because Pillai is an industrialist. But why Kodiyeri,” asked a member of the Kollam district committee of the party.