Politics in Kerala took a new turn as Jose K Mani, leader of the Kerala Congress(Mani) faction called on CPI(M) State General Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at AKG Centre at Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
This is the first ever visit by a Kerala Congress (Mani) faction leader to the CPI(M) State headquarters in the last 39 years. Balakrishnan who addressed the media after the visit of Jose K Mani said that the decision of Kerala Congress (Mani) to cast its lots with the Left Democratic Front was because of the anti-communal and anti-imperialist policies pursued by the CPI(M).
“The foundation of the United Democratic Front led by the Indian National Congress has been shattered. This is because of the failure of the Congress to take a strong anti-communal stance against the RSS. All sections of people in the State trust the development initiatives of the CPI(M). Ours is the best State in India only because of the development agenda of the CPI(M),” said Balakrishnan.
He said even Pope Francis has accepted the fact that capitalism all over the world was collapsing. The CPI(M) leader addressed the Pope as “His Holiness Pope” as part of his party’s changed attitude towards the Catholic Church.
But Balakrishnan got annoyed when reporters asked him about the CPI(M)’s agitations against Jose’s father late K M Mani, founder of the Kerala Congress who was the finance Minister of Kerala during 2011 to 2016.
The Marxists did not allow Mani to present the 2016 budget in the Assembly accusing him of “massive corruption” in the bar license scam. The party leaders had alleged that Mani had a number of currency counting machines at his residence.
“You cannot expect me to answer the questions raised by Oommen Chandi, the former chief minister. Why can’t you go and ask him the same question,” retorted a visibly annoyed Balakrishnan.
Though the number of Covid-19 patients in the State has shot upto 95,008 by Friday evening, the CPI(M) secretary said Kerala has the best Covid management system in place.
A Jayashankar, Kerala’s leading political commentator and author, said the move by Kerala Congress (Mani) to move over to the LDF would result in the disintegration and destruction of the party. “In 1980, Mani (founder of Kerala Congress) joined the CPI(M) camp in company of the Congress faction headed by A K Antony. The Antony faction returned to the parent party by October 1981 because of the CPI(M)’s arrogance and high-handedness. Mani did not continue in the CPI(M) camp for long because he got a better deal from the Congress high command,” said Jayashankar who also said the CPI(M) was unlikely win the next assembly election.