Organisationally and politically, there is very little that worries the State unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) as it goes into its four-day State conference in Thrissur on Thursday.
Its principal rival, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), is in utter disarray and its organisational solidity has seen it sway its way the party’s political tactical line at the national level.
But what it probably did not bargain for is the sudden emergence of the cloud of negativity following Congress worker S.P. Shuhaib’s murder and there is little doubt that the incident has taken some sheen off the all-important conclave of the party.
The CPI(M) leadership has firmly denied any wrongdoing on its part. The party has also made it clear that there is no question of the party indulging in mindless killing and if party workers are found involved in Shuhaib’s killing, stern action would be initiated against them. The CPI(M) leadership also has the grouse that the virulent attack on the party from the media, the Opposition, and many in the social media is marked by an urge to target the CPI(M). It also raises the question why these sections are not equally agitated when CPI(M) workers get killed.
Such arguments and contestations notwithstanding, the party has a lot to worry here as even those who stand by the party, including several Leftist cultural activists, are upset with Shuhaib’s killing and have come out in the open with their strong disapproval of the politics of murder and violence.
Many in the party too are worried about the fallout of such happenings because experience has shown that one murder can upset the entire governance agenda of any government as had happened when K.T. Jayakrishnan, a Sangh activist-teacher, was killed brutally in front of his students. Ever since he assumed office, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been trying hard to build bridges with the sworn enemies of the CPI(M) so that the focus from governance is not lost.
What Shuhaib’s killing has perhaps done is to take the public eye away from whatever Mr. Vijayan and his government have been trying to do and that cannot but worry the thinking sections of the party, if not the Chief Minister himself. Regardless of the kind of deliberation that the murder and its aftermath trigger, the CPI(M) conference is likely to come up with strong defence of its position and an equally sharp attack on its critics.
Expanding alliance
The only other major point of interest at the conference would be how it wishes to go about expanding the ruling alliance as is being stated repeatedly by party leaders. What they mean by them is inclusion of the Kerala Congress (M) led by K.M. Mani in the alliance. Former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan is firmly opposed to the move and so is the Communist Party of India, the second largest LDF constituent. Mr. Achuthanandan’s objections could be overruled, but how the party would get the better of the CPI on the issue would have to be seen.
