Malappuram: The venue of the CPI state conference saw top leaders of the CPM and CPI airing their differences over striking an alliance with the Congress.
Categorically rejecting any cooperation with the Congress, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Left should not turn itself into a "tail that wags."
"People have high hopes about the Left. They should not be let down," said Pinarayi.
Congress can never be made a partner in the fight against BJP. "Any alliance with the Congress, a party which does not adopt people-friendly policies, will defeat the aim of forming a Left-led alternative to BJP," said the chief minister.
Another drawback of a tie-up with the Congress is that the fight against communalism would be diluted, he added.
Pinarayi, who unleashed severe criticism against the Congress, was in fact replying to the CPI national leadership's stand favoring cooperation with the Congress in fight against the BJP.
The chief minister also called for broadening the Left Democratic Front (LDF), during his speech lasting around 30 minutes.
Earlier in the day, delegates at the CPI meet had alleged that the stand of all the nine advisors of the chief minister on various issues was contradictory to the LDF's policies.
Some delegates accused the chief minister of acting like a despot, while others alleged that the Life project, a massive housing campaign to build houses for 2 lakh families without land or housing, was a fraud and that the farmers' pension scheme was in limbo.
Look beyond Kerala: Kanam
Soon after the chief minister's speech, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran came up with his reply to Pinarayi Vijayan.
Delivering his address, Kanam reminded the CPM leader that, "India is not Kerala alone."
"There is no harm in seeking the support of other parties to defeat the main enemy," he said.
Kanam also urged Pinarayi not to dash the expectations of the people regarding the Left front.
"A distinction should be made between ideology and practice," he added.
