CPI dismisses KC(M) as party with no significant power

Amid growing mistrust over their roles within the Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Kottayam district conference of the Communist Party of India (CPI) at Vaikom on Saturday dismissed the Kerala Congress (M) as a party with no real influence to speak of. The party also disagreed with the CPI (M)’s claim that the LDF greatly benefited from the inclusion of KC(M).

A working report presented at the conference noted that if KC(M) truly possessed real strength, it would not have suffered a humiliating defeat in the Kottayam parliamentary seat. Even in assembly segments like Pala and Kaduthuruthy, traditionally considered strongholds of the regional party, the candidates fielded by the LDF lagged far behind.

“During the last parliamentary election, the Left could secure a majority only in the Vaikom constituency out of the nine constituencies in Kottayam district and that is a matter of pride for the CPI,” the report stated.

While the report acknowledged some differences between the CPI and the Kerala Congress, it emphasised that the dispute is not about dominance within the LDF. Although some Kerala Congress leaders have joined the LDF, the party’s cadres still maintain an affinity for the UDF, the report added.

The CPI appears clearly wary of KC(M)’s persistent push to expand its influence within the LDF in Central Travancore, seemingly with the backing of the CPI(M). The CPI(M), views KC(M)led by Jose K Mani, as its bridge to Catholic votes across the region, which for long had worked in favour of the Congress-led United Democratic Front.

Earlier last month, the CPI district conference in Idukki too dismissed KC(M) as a party with presence in only a few pockets and expressed concerns about a deliberate attempt by the regional party to overrun its position within the ruling coalition.

This is not the first time the CPI has publicly contested KC(M)’s growing ambitions. In its working report presented at the 2022 Kottayam district conference, the CPI had voiced similar criticism of the KC(M), led by Jose K. Mani.

Tensions between the two parties were also apparent after the 2021 Assembly elections when the KC(M) high-power committee criticised the CPI for its election analysis. The CPI report had blamed KC(M) for the LDF’s losses in the Pala and Kaduthuruthy constituencies. In response, the KC(M) leadership accused the CPI of harbouring unfounded fears about losing its status within the LDF.

The roots of this skirmish can be traced back to the previous Assembly elections when the CPI was compelled to relinquish the Kanjirappally seat in Kottayam to the KC(M).