The CPI(M) on Tuesday absorbed a group of BJP rebels who were till last week activists of a pro-Narendra Modi forum, NaMo Vichar Manch, into the party at a public meeting held at Panur in Kannur district despite the objections raised by senior Marxist leaders like VS Achuthanandan.
The group which joined the CPI(M), the Sangh Pariwar’s enemy No 1 in Kannur, infamous as the centre of violent Marxist politics, “without any pre-conditions on positions” were led by BJP’s Ex Kannur district president OK Vasu and former district secretary A Asokan.
CPI(M)’s Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, a native of Kannur, formally welcomed the BJP rebels into his party as he inaugurated the public meeting held at a school ground in Panur, a place that had seen some of the bloodiest incidents of political violence the State had witnessed in the past four decades.
Vasu, Asokan and their associates had left the BJP sometime ago following alleged disputes over party positions and had constituted the NaMo Vichar Manch in November with the objective of propagating Modi’s development-oriented political ideology.
However, they decided to join the CPI(M) reportedly after detailed discussions with the Marxist leadership.
The CPI(M)’s State committee had on Sunday passed a resolution to reprimand Achuthanandan for his open criticisms against the party’s Kannur unit’s decision to absorb the BJP rebels. The State secretariat and central leadership of the party had fully endorsed the Kannur unit’s decision.