In contemporary politics, there is little that is surprising about desertions from political parties. Groups of middle and low-level activists, individual leaders and prominent sidekicks have shown Kerala how desertions can be a potent political weapon though, most often, the effects of such actions evaporate once the heat of the moment subsides.
But, going by the recent experience of the CPI(M), it appears that there is a pattern to the desertions from the CPI(M) and, perhaps, reasons that the party may have to apply its mind to. Two high profile switchovers over the last few days - by the former CPI(M) backed-independent MLA Alphons Kannanthanam to the BJP and SFI's former State president Sindhu Joy to the Congress - are two important cases in point.
Two others, K.S. Manoj and A.P. Abdullakutty, who had been elected to the Lok Sabha on CPI(M) tickets had done the same sometime ago, suggesting that the CPI(M) is no longer immune to neoliberal value system which places primacy to mighty aspirations and their satiation by any means. This is a clear departure from old times when nobody left the party, but was expelled.
Ms. Joy's departure was in the making for quite sometime, only that she timed it well to grab maximum eyeballs and make a smooth entry into the Congress.
The former SFI leader's anger at Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan too is to be expected, for she was never a great fan of the senior-most leader of the CPI(M) in Kerala, not even when he fought for women's rights.
Dr. Manoj had cited the freedom to practise his faith as the reason to move away from the CPI(M) when there was no attempt by the party to impose new restrictions on its members on that score.
Mr. Abdullakutty quit the CPI(M) after inviting action for making laudatory remarks about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Kannanthanam, despite being close to the Church, did not go to that extent or come up with any convincing reason for his quitting the fray after the CPI(M) had decided to field him in the upcoming Assembly elections, but lost no time to establish contact with the BJP leadership and gain entry into that party.
The real reason why Mr. Kannanthanam decided to dump the CPI(M) and the LDF is yet to be known. However, if a person who was handpicked by the party from a minority community could so easily move over to a party that professes the diametrically opposite ideology, he must have some real solid reason for doing so. And if that reason has to do with the ideology and practice of the CPI(M), the party will have on hand another tough nut to crack.
On the contrary, Ms. Joy has cited neglect by the party and the precedence given to other women leaders with lesser experience and contribution when positions were decided as the reason for her decision to quit the CPI(M).
The validity or otherwise of her grievance notwithstanding, the speed with which she showered fulsome praise on the Church and its higher-ups and their stand on self-financed higher education, the single most important issue that brought her public attention, has left the CPI(M) cadres wondering and, possibly, points to the transition traumas of a quasi cadre-based party that is witnessing the spread of neoliberal middle class culture and accompanying aspirations taking over larger swathes of public space.
