Kollam: The CPM in Kerala has courted fresh controversy after one of its area secretaries made disparaging remarks about people from the Malabar region, months after the party suffered one of its worst electoral setbacks in the state.

P K Johnson, CPM's Kottarakkara Area Secretary, alleged that people from northern districts travel to Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital, stay for days, occupy hotels and visit the Secretariat and ministers' offices in large numbers before returning home 'after eating and drinking their fill'.

"People from Malabar come to Thiruvananthapuram, eat and drink to their heart's content and then go back," Johnson said while addressing an LDF meeting at Ummanoor Panchayat in Kottarakkara.

He claimed that the influx of people from districts such as Malappuram and Kasaragod had made it difficult even for others to access ministers' offices and the Secretariat. According to him, people arrive in buses, remain in the capital for a week or two until their work is completed and occupy hotel rooms to such an extent that accommodation has to be booked 'six months in advance'.

The remarks, widely viewed as derogatory towards people from North Kerala, were made from a stage attended by senior LDF leaders, including former minister K B Ganesh Kumar. There was no immediate response from leaders on the dais.

The comments assume political significance as they come in the wake of the CPM-led LDF's crushing defeat in the 2026 Assembly election, particularly across the Malabar belt that had for decades formed the backbone of the party's electoral strength. The party lost several traditional strongholds in Kannur and elsewhere in North Kerala, contributing to the LDF's worst performance in recent history and prompting an internal review of its disconnect with voters.

For decades, districts such as Kannur, Kozhikode and parts of Palakkad had been considered CPM strongholds, with the party's organisational network and cadre base deeply entrenched in the region. The 2026 verdict, however, saw the LDF lose many of these bastions, signalling a significant shift in Kerala's political landscape.

Johnson's remarks are likely to invite criticism from political opponents as well as people from the Malabar region, with the controversy emerging at a time when the CPM is attempting to introspect and rebuild after its electoral defeat. No official response had been issued by the CPM at the time of publication.