Thrissur: Cautioning that prolonged power breeds complacency, Kerala Sahitya Akademi president and poet K Satchidanandan has reaffirmed his opposition to consecutive terms in office. The remarks follow a major political controversy triggered by his candid criticism of continued rule in an interview published in Manorama Sunday. He also pointed out that misguided attempts were being made to appease the majority communities.

“I am not a politician at all. I have heard people say that I have been a CPM member for the past ten years. I have never been a member of any political party. It is better for governments to alternate. Even if it were the Congress, I would still say that consecutive rule is not good,” he said.

According to him, if the CPM in Kerala is to avoid a collapse similar to the one witnessed in West Bengal, it must also be prepared to sit in the opposition. Continued rule, he warned, leads to increased corruption and concentration of power. It creates a sense of invincibility and erodes humility toward others. If a third consecutive term comes about, many opportunists would flock to the Left, and the number of those using the party for personal gain would increase.

While acknowledging several positive developments under continued rule, Satchidanandan noted that fear of criticising the party or its leadership is also growing among the public. “The rise of fear is nothing to be proud of,” he added.

He further noted that attempts were being made to appease individuals whose lives and actions run counter to the ideals of Sree Narayana Guru. “Portraying such individuals as greater than the Guru himself, merely for electoral gain, is reprehensible. I also sense that fear has not entirely disappeared from minority communities. There is clear evidence of a shrinking leadership space, verging on concentration of power. Political parties must also be willing to sit in the opposition. It is the opposition that restores democracy,” he said.

Party grasps the spirit of Satchidanandan’s remarks: M V Govindan
Kozhikode: CPM State Secretary M V Govindan said the party would take note of the criticisms raised by poet Satchidanandan on the State’s governance in an interview published in Manorama Sunday. The interview, he said, should be read in its entirety.

“What Satchidanandan has said does not suggest that the Communist Party should not continue in power. It should instead be seen as a caution to govern and function with greater vigilance,” Govindan said.

According to him, the party would oppose anyone who adopts a communal stance. “The LDF functions on the principle of inclusion. Satchidanandan’s criticism that the government focuses only on the middle class is not valid. We will take on board what is worth absorbing from the criticism and make the necessary changes. However, given the present political circumstances, it is essential that this government continues,” he added.

Satchidanandan echoes public mood: V D Satheesan
Thalassery: Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said poet Satchidanandan’s remarks reinforced the criticism the UDF has consistently raised against the Pinarayi Vijayan government. He said even committed Communists and Left sympathisers did not want the present government to return to power. “What Satchidanandan has articulated reflects the prevailing public mood in Kerala,” Satheesan said.

Satchidanandan misunderstood the issue: V Sivankutty
Thiruvananthapuram: Minister V Sivankutty rejected K Satchidanandan’s contention that continued rule would weaken the Communist Party, describing it as a misunderstanding. “Even if the government returns to power, the party will face no crisis. There is no doubt that the LDF will secure a third consecutive term in Kerala,” the minister said.

Sara Joseph flags authoritarian drift behind ‘Pinarayi 3.0’ pitch
Thrissur: Writer Sara Joseph said branding a third term in power as ‘Pinarayi 3.0’ would harm the Communist Party. She pointed out that it was the Left Front that came to power, not Pinarayi Vijayan as an individual.

“Communist parties decline when they drift towards authoritarianism. Kerala appears to be passing through a phase in which such tendencies have intensified,” she said.

A change in government, she argued, would ultimately benefit the Left itself. Referring to developments involving Vellappally, Sara Joseph said what was unfolding was not merely majority appeasement but outright communal appeasement, driven by vote-bank calculations.

Ashokan Charuvil questions timing and intent of criticism
Thrissur: Kerala Sahitya Akademi vice-president Ashokan Charuvil said prominent writers have historically played a dual role—at times rescuing the Left through criticism and at other times weakening it.

He remarked that while M N Karassery and Sara Joseph stepped into the fray with “hats on their heads”, Satchidanandan has a “history of entering politics carrying a gun”. Charuvil criticised such public interventions, describing them as attempts to “help the Left by defeating and weakening it”.