Fissures in the CPI over the boycott of last week’s Cabinet meeting by party’s Ministers to force NCP leader Thomas Chandy’s resignation as Transport Minister are out in the open.
While the party leadership continued to insist that the Ministers had boycotted the Cabinet meeting based on a party decision, CPI national executive committee member K.E. Ismail’s reported statement that the boycott was without the knowledge of the party leadership has created an impression to the contrary. With the impression of a division in the CPI leadership gaining ground, several CPI(M) spokespersons were quick to latch on to it to criticise the CPI Ministers’ action.
Mr. Ismail, who was talking to a TV channel in Alappuzha the other day, had said that many party leaders were unaware of the boycott decision and that the matter would be discussed within the party.
He virtually rejected the party stand that Mr. Chandy’s resignation was delayed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s failure to put pressure on him to do so. The Chief Minister had taken only sufficient time to consider all related issues, he said.
Rebutting his observations, CPI State assistant secretary Prakash Babu on Sunday told reporters here that the Ministers’ boycott was indeed based on a party decision.
He did not see any need for the State party to discuss such issues with national executive committee members.
The party State leadership, he said, had sufficient autonomy to take decisions and it was not necessary for national executive members to be involved in such deliberations.
It was also not the practice of the party to discuss all State issues at its national executive committee meetings.
If Mr. Ismail had spoken against the party stand, the matter would be taken up by at the next meeting of the CPI State executive, Mr. Prakash Babu said.
