The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have sought to put the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on the defensive by accusing it of being loyal to China.
Two back-to-back speeches by Polit Bureau member S. Ramachandran Pillai and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to party delegates at recent district conferences seemed to have provoked them.
At the CPI(M) 's district conference in Kottayam, Mr. Pillai highlighted China as an example of socialist success. He portrayed China as an example of socialist achievement.
It had eradicated poverty and achieved prosperity. China had made giant strides in technology, medicine, environmental protection, public health, and education. It was a global counterweight to the imperialistic designs of the United States. China's success had made it a target for capitalist forces. He said some elements stoked anti-Chinese sentiment in India to target the CPI(M).
Later, at the CPI(M) 's district conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, Mr. Vijayan appeared to insert a rider to Mr. Pillai's statement.
He said the 20th CPI(M) party congress in Kozhikode in 2015 had faulted China for not standing up to imperialistic designs. The CPI(M) had debated China and adopted a political resolution. The party's position on China had not changed since.
Mr. Vijayan said China's achievements notwithstanding, issues such as inequitable distribution of wealth and entrenched corruption plagued the country. The new world order had concentrated wealth in the hands of a few, and the socialist movement was finding traction globally.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the CPI(M) should clarify whether it was beholden to China or the people of India. “If it rains in China, CPI(M) leaders in Kerala will unfold their umbrellas.” Mr. Satheesan termed China an expansionist power inimical to India. It supported Pakistan’s proxy war in Kashmir and had attempted to diminish India’s global standing.
BJP leader K. Surendran said the CPI(M) was China's proxy in India. China's interests lay at the heart of the CPI(M). The party had brazenly defended China's anti-India policy. The CPI(M) had not uttered a word on China's threatening troop movements on India's eastern flank.
