Open protests coming up from the grassroots in several Assembly constituencies against the selection of candidates by the party's higher committees have shocked Kerala's CPI(M) leadership even as it is struggling to meet the deadline set for concluding the process of seat-sharing among the constituents of the lDF it leads for the May 16 Assembly polls.
Though the protests, appearing in the form of demonstrations and poster campaigns objecting to the selection of candidates by the party committees or demanding fielding of particular leaders as candidates, have taken place in several constituencies, the leadership seems to be confused over how to handle the situation.
While moderate leaders in the CPI(M) prefer to explain these protests away as "normal and harmless reaction", a section in the leadership is trying to put the blame on the party's "enemies" for the development. "There is no doubt that these (protests) are being sponsored by the party's enemies," said CPI(M) central committee member EP Jayarajan.
"Our party is not used to such protests which may be common in 'bourgeois parties' like the Congress. We have seen group rivalry in such parties spilling into the streets. I think that tendency is slowly creeping up into the CPI(M) also," said a former State committee member of the party.
Protests had raged during the Assembly elections of 2006 and 2011 against the leadership's decision not to give ticket to senior leader VS Achuthanandan. "But that was an exceptional situation. One can understand the sentiments in the case of VS. It has no comparison with what is happening now. How far can you allow sentiment decentralisationIJ" asked the leader.
Grassroots protests against selection of candidates by district and State leaderships came up first from the Wadakanchery constituency in Thrissur district in central Kerala in the form of posters that appeared on Wednesday morning. The State leadership had the other day decided to field 69-year-old film actress KPAC lalitha as lDF's Independent candidate in Wadakanchery.
"The service of star glamour parachuted from elsewhere are unwanted here. We need a person who knows Wadakanchery's heart," read the posters. Though lalitha is presently settled in Wadakanchery, the native place of her late husband Bharathan, a film director, she belongs to southern Kerala originally.
Poster campaigns against dropping of the names of locally popular leaders from the list of candidates and selection of "unpopular" persons as candidates were seen in Kottarakkara and Kundara in Kollam district, Thripunithura in Ernakulam, Kayamkulam in Alappuzha, etc. In some cases, the leadership has already succumbed to grassroots pressures.
Apart from widespread poster-sticking, Thripunithura and Edakochi in Thripunithura constituency saw open demonstrations by partymen and DYFI activists on Wednesday and Thursday demanding fielding of district CPI(M) secretary and former Rajya Sabha member P Rajeev as candidate.
Surprisingly, the protestors did not seem to be bothered about the possible consequences of openly challenging the leadership. "We want Rajeev as our candidate. We have the right to demand it. Our party is said to be working on the principle of democratic centralism. It does not mean absence of democracy," said a young protestor at Edakochi.
Meanwhile, the CPI(M) failed to reach a settlement on seat-sharing for the Assembly election with CPI, second biggest lDF constituent, even at the third round of bilateral discussions held on Thursday morning at Thiruvananthapuram. lDF leaders aired suspicion on whether the front would be able to meet the Saturday deadline set earlier for the concluding process.
"Problems have not been solved. Discussions will continue tomorrow (Friday)," said State CPI secretary Kanam Rajendran afterThursday's talks. The CPI, which had contested 27 seats for the lDF in the 2011 election, has demanded two more seats this time.
Talks are yet to conclude also with the Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, the new party formed by the rebels of the Kerala Congress (M). It has asked the CPI(M) for seven seats but the Marxists have made it clear that only four could be given. "We have presented our case. Things will be settled through discussions," said Francis George, the new party's State chief.