P Jayarajan to CPM: Correct issues or lose credibility

Kozhikode: Following CPM's severe electoral drubbing, senior leader P Jayarajan sounded caution saying that when Communists engage in parliamentary politics, various forms of degeneration can creep in and if such issues are not discussed and corrected, CPM's public credibility will erode."There are lessons from this election that require introspection and correction. Party leaders have already made it clear. This includes the need to continue the rectification process which began earlier," he wrote in a Facebook post, adding that CPM cannot move forward without addressing its concrete problems.He stressed that rectification must take place within the organization and said that some supporters are expressing differing opinions and criticisms on social media as they were disappointed with the election results. "Such views should be communicated to the party leadership. CPM is a party that takes letters from supporters seriously," he added.Jayarajan said in Kerala, Congress and IUML were the primary beneficiaries of the Left's dismal poll result. More than welfare and development achievements during the 10-year LDF rule, UDF's aggressive campaign drew a section of voters. Therefore, the Left must take up this issue, he said."Another dangerous dimension of this shift is BJP winning three seats. For decades, RSS attempted to penetrate Kerala society. Believing that communists were the main obstacle, they unleashed ideological and physical attacks against CPM. The martyrdom of 215 party workers across 13 districts was a result of this. While RSS was forced to scale back its attacks, its ideological expansion continues. Only the Left can resist this ideologically and that struggle must continue," he added.Meanwhile, flex boards appeared against the party leaderships at Anthoor Municipality and some other places. Also, many Left social media handles have been vocal in criticising the party leadership and party state secretary M V Govindan for CPM's electoral debacle. His wife PK Shyamala lost to CPM rebel TK Govindan by over 12,000 votes in the party stronghold of Taliparamba.