State secretary of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) A.A. Azeez said that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] appears to have taken the RSP for granted and realised that folly only when the RSP formally announced severing of its ties with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) over the Kollam Lok Sabha seat.
Talking to presspersons here after attending the district committee meeting of his party on Sunday, Mr. Azeez said the CPI(M) was too late to realise the strength and importance of the RSP as an ally. “There is no going back on the decision to sever ties with the LDF and field party leader N.K. Premachandran from Kollam,” he said.
He said the RSP never desired such a situation but the CPI(M) instigated it. “The present State leadership of the CPI(M) had always adopted an insulting approach towards the RSP,” he said. But the party tolerated it in the larger interests of left unity. “Tolerating that anymore would be suicidal for the party,” he added.
RSP strongholdMr. Azeez said Kollam was the stronghold of the RSP and the place from where party veterans like N. Sreekantan Nair and T.K. Divakaran successfully contested several times. Kollam was always very sentimental to the RSP and giving up that seat to the CPI(M) was not an easy task.
“The party had knocked several times at the doors of the CPI(M) leadership for talks on this issue but was ignored.
“Now, after leaving the LDF, many CPI(M) leaders are calling us for talks. But what is the use, we already took the political decision to leave the LDF and we stand by it,” he said.
Mr. Azeez said the CPI(M) virtually enslaved the RSP under the guise of a national policy bound by the Left unity. In 1999, when the CPI(M) took over the Kollam seat from the RSP, it deeply wounded the feelings of party cadres but they sincerely worked for the success of the CPI(M) candidate.
“Though we were compensated with a Rajya Sabha seat at that time, afterwards there was neither the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha or the Kollam Assembly seat for us,” he said.
He said the decision of the party to sever ties with the LDF had also paved the way for the unity of the RSP factions.
“From now on, we desire no more RSP factions bracketed A or B,” he said. Those who left the party were most welcome to return to the parent party and there had been positive indications in this connection since Saturday, he said.
UDF supportMr. Premachandran said the RSP had decided to contest on its own from Kollam. It was only after announcing that decision that the party got the unexpected support from the Congress and the UDF. Soon afterwards, the Revolutionary Marxist Party and the Marxist Communist Party of India (United) — founded by the Late V.B. Cheriyan —also extended support, he said.
The district committee meeting that was also attended by the former State secretary of the party V.P. Ramakrishna Pillai and presided over by district secretary Philip K. Thomas, endorsed the decisions taken by the State committee in this connection on Saturday.
With RSP cadres turning jubilant over the decision to field Mr. Premachandran from Kollam, the RSP district committee office saw hectic activity on Sunday with a steady flow of party cadres who looked geared up for campaign work.
After the district committee meeting, RSP cadres held a march through the city declaring Mr. Premachandran as their candidate for the Lok Sabha elections and raising slogans in support of him.
