CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Friday said the traditional support base of the Kerala Congress (M) in Central Travancore had abandoned their anti-communist attitude that had benefitted the UDF for long.
He said the CPI(M) State secretariat, which discussed Jose. K. Mani’s possible entry into the LDF, also weighed the encyclicals of Pope Francis.
The Pope had repeatedly criticised the excesses of global capitalism and the wealth gap it had created in society. Pope Francis had also noted how global capitalism had wreaked havoc on the life of ordinary people, chiefly farmers.
He said the Pope’s message might also have influenced Mr Mani’s decision to work in league with the LDF. The decision also indicated a seismic shift in the political thinking of traditional UDF voters. They had opted for the LDF given its opposition to the anti-farmer policies of the Centre. LDF’s secular politics rooted in progressive ethos was a big draw for voters resentful of the dalliance of the UDF with the Sangh Parivar.
The CPI(M) would observe October 17 as the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party.
