Even my son raised questions, says CPI(M)’s Govindan on mounting criticism after Kerala poll defeat

Thiruvananthapuram, May 20 (IANS) For perhaps the first time in recent Kerala political history, the once tightly controlled inner circles of the CPI(M) have turned into arenas of open anger, frustration and brutal introspection, with former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and party state secretary M.V. Govindan facing an extraordinary wave of criticism across district committee and secretariat meetings following the Left Democratic Front’s crushing Assembly election defeat.

What has especially stunned party insiders is the intensity and personal nature of the attacks directed at Vijayan, a leader who for nearly a decade towered over the party and government with unquestioned authority.

At the Thiruvananthapuram district secretariat meeting, leaders openly blamed Vijayan’s arrogance, inaccessible public image and confrontational body language for alienating ordinary voters.

Several members reportedly said the former Chief Minister’s style had become impossible for common people to relate to, while his press conferences increasingly conveyed impatience and intolerance rather than confidence.

The sharpest and perhaps most politically symbolic remark came from Govindan himself. Attempting to explain the scale of criticism being faced by Vijayan, Govindan reportedly said even his own son had questioned his father’s body language and the manner in which he conducted press conferences.

“Do you look at yourself in the mirror?” the son had allegedly asked, according to Govindan’s remarks during internal discussions, a comment now widely circulating within party circles as a reflection of the unprecedented backlash confronting the former Chief Minister and against Govindan.

Leaders also criticised the culture surrounding the Chief Minister’s Office, alleging that ordinary party workers and common people found it nearly impossible to gain access.

Questions were further raised over why Vijayan alone was exempted from the party’s age norms when several senior leaders and even state committee members were denied opportunities to contest elections.

Cabinet colleagues of Vijayan, M.B. Rajesh and Veena George also came under severe criticism, with leaders describing their performance and ministerial functioning as major liabilities for the party.

Within CPI(M) circles, senior leaders privately admit that never before have Vijayan and Govindan faced such direct, widespread and emotionally charged criticism from within the organisation.

For a party long known for rigid discipline and tightly managed dissent, the post-defeat meetings are now exposing deep unrest and perhaps the beginning of a larger battle over accountability and the future direction of the party.

–IANS

sg/dpb