Thrissur, August 22 (H.S.): Differences within Kerala’s Opposition Left Democratic Front resurfaced on Saturday after Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan rejected the CPI’s demand for the Deputy Leader of Opposition post, drawing a sharp response from CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam.
Asked about the proposed appointment, Pinarayi said the Deputy Leader would be named after he submitted a letter to the Assembly Speaker. He asserted that the nominee would be from the CPM, effectively ruling out the CPI’s claim.
“There is no doubt about whose name will be included in the letter. It will be a CPM leader,” Pinarayi said.
The remark angered the CPI, which has been pressing its claim for the post for nearly three months. Viswam said such a categorical statement was inappropriate when discussions between the coalition partners were still under way.
He said it was difficult to believe that a leader of Pinarayi’s stature had made the remark. If he had, it did not reflect the political maturity expected of him or the dignity of the position he occupied, Viswam said.
The CPI leader maintained that unilateral declarations on a disputed issue were contrary to the LDF’s political culture. He added that no individual leader had the authority to determine the CPI’s prestige or political standing, saying that right belonged to the party and the people.
Viswam called for the disagreement to be settled through bilateral consultations. LDF convener T.P. Ramakrishnan had earlier met CPI leaders at the party headquarters in an attempt to break the deadlock, but the discussions remained inconclusive.
The CPI believes that withdrawing its demand would weaken its position within the alliance. Pinarayi, however, maintains that there is no established convention requiring the post to be given to the CPI. The matter was not taken up at the recent LDF meeting.
The CPI has previously forced the CPM-led front to reconsider decisions involving the Kerala Police Act amendment, the PM-SHRI agreement and former Minister Thomas Chandy.
