Mutiny threatens to upset CPM’s electoral prospects

More and more CPI(M) strongholds in Kozhikode district are witnessing mutiny in the party, threatening to upset its electoral balance sheet with vast majorities of members and fellow-travelers joining the rebels. The official leadership of the CPI(M) have tried all methods to resist the spreading rebellion but all these have proved counter-productive.

Within 48 hours of senior Polit Bureau member VS Achuthanandan’s calm appeal to the rebels of Orketteri, where they had already constituted a local committee of their new outfit, Marxist Party, along with the one in Onchiyam, the rebels formed a local committee of their own in Azhiyoor in the district itself on Sunday evening.

Rebels said the next local committee parallel to the CPI(M) panel would come up at Chorod, and their own area committee would be constituted in Onchiyam, a symbol of pride for the Marxists in the State for the communist upheaval and police firing some sixty years ago there.

It has now been proved that Achuthanandan, who had visited Orkatteri in a bid to bring back the rebels to the party after the strategy of threat and repression under the leadership of by party State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan had failed, could not make any difference to the situation of revolt.

Orkaterri local committee secretary of the newly formed Marxist Party, TP Chandrasekharan, who was expelled from the CPI(M) when he was wielding the same post in the CPI(M), said that Achuthanandan’s arrival was of no consequence. He said they had been waging a war against the party earlier and would continue that war until and unless the party leadership changed its stand.

He said they would go ahead with the programme of forming more and more committees as they had done in Onchiyam and Orkatteri.”Pinarayi Viujayan had threatened that we would learn lessons the hard way. Achuthanandan appealed to us calmly to return to the party, as the party was ready to pardon the mistakes of those who had left the party. It is now up to the party to say whose stand is the official party stand,”said Chandrasekharan.

The rebels’ Marxist Party has already floated its own youth wing in the name of Revolutionary DYFI. They have also completed the procedures for launching the parallel outfits for the Kerala State Karshaka Tholzhilali Union and the Construction Workers’ Union (Nirmana Thozhilali Union). Plans are in the final stage for launching a woman’s organization parallel to the All India Democratic Woman’s Association of the CPI(M).

Rebels say that they were equipped to meet any challenge from the CPI(M) and had the support of the people in all these areas to ensure this. They claim that the CPI(M) would not dare even to speak about the repressive tactic the party had been playing against opponents here.

“We are no more a miniscule set-up that the CPI(M) could trample at will, and it is now evident from the change of thought in that party. That is why they sent Achuthanandan as the new peace ambassador to Orkatteri after the threats of Pinarayi and central committee member EP Jayarajan had failed to have any effect,” said a rebel.

The Kozhikode District committee of the CPI(M) headed by secretary TP Ramakrishnan is now worried that the mutiny in the party organisation in the district has grown into huge problem capable of affecting the party’s prospects at least in the panchayath and Assembly elections. Party leaders secretly admit that the rebels in these particular problem areas presently have more support than the party.

District committee members admit that if election was now held to the Eramala Grama Panchayat in Onchiyam, where the whole mutiny in the district had started, the CPI(M) could suffer humiliating defeat. They even say that the rebels’ Marxist party could come into power if they get UDF support. If this trend has already spread to the entire Onchiyam area, a defeat for the CPI(M) even in the Assembly election could be a reality, they say

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