CPI's Sathyan Mokeri tears into Pinarayi over CPI bashing, 'lack of political maturity'; warns of Sangh Parivar gain

A day after CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam sought his CPM counterpart MA Baby's help in reining in Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI assistant secretary and former MLA Sathyan Mokeri on Friday gave Pinarayi a mouthful and attributed "personal" motives to Pinarayi's repeated insults of the CPI.

"Pinarayi should not attempt to impose his likes and dislikes on Left politics. Such an approach will weaken the political morality upheld by the Left. It will only help the BJP-Sangh Parivar forces that are waiting to get a toehold in Kerala," Mokeri said in a strongly worded editorial piece in the CPI mouthpiece Janayugom.

He even accused Pinarayi of lacking political maturity. "I regret to say that the Opposition Leader does not possess the political maturity that communist leaders demonstrate in a coalition," he said.

The instant trigger for Mokeri was Pinarayi's disdainful comment on August 21 that it would only be a CPM name he would recommend as the deputy leader of opposition. After the electoral rout, the CPI had laid claim to the deputy opposition leader's post. Pinarayi had then taken the stand that the post would automatically go to the CPM. He said there was no need for even a discussion on the issue.

After this, efforts were made to mollify the CPI. LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan met Binoy Viswam at the CPI headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. Unlike Pinarayi, Ramakrishnan did not reject the CPI's claim. It was decided to sustain the talks on the deputy leader post. At the meeting it was also decided to separate the deputy leader issue from the general functioning of the LDF. The consensus was that internal talks on the choice of the deputy leader should not stand in the way of routine LDF meetings.

The CPI assistant secretary said that at a recent LDF meeting the Opposition Leader himself had emphasised the importance of collective work. "When it was agreed that differences should not hamper the LDF's functioning, was it to strengthen the LDF that the Opposition Leader convened a press conference and declared arbitrary decisions," Mokeri said. "What prompted the Opposition Leader to make statements that would weaken the LDF? What is the political morality of the LDF? Clarity is required," he said.

The senior CPI leader also admonished Pinarayi in a way no Left leader had done in the last decade. "A coalition is a mechanism formed by more than one party with a common political objective. Delusional beliefs like one is the sole arbiter of everything is not compatible with collective functioning. And such a mindset does not befit a communist leader," he said.

Mokeri said Pinarayi's latest remark was an absolute violation of coalition principles. "The Opposition Leader's remark has been made disregarding the talks being held at various levels on the CPI's proposal," Mokeri said.

He said the choice of the deputy opposition leader was a political issue. "It is not for the Opposition Leader to decide on his own," Mokeri said. He said the issue was with the central leadership of both the parties. "In none of the CPM-CPI meetings was there any discussion on the Opposition Leader giving any letter (to the Speaker)," the CPI leader said, and added: "What then prompted the Opposition Leader to say that he would submit a letter proposing the deputy opposition leader? The motivations are clearly not Left politics."

CPI general secretary D Raja also said that it was mysterious why Pinarayi said that there would be no talks on the deputy leader issue. "It is a fair claim made by the CPI," Raja said in New Delhi on August 24.

Quoting Bulgarian politician and revolutionary Georgi Dimitrov, Mokeri said that a coalition was not like a feudal lord-lackey bond. "Parties in a united front should have equal status and granted equal respect. Don't try to control everything. Respect the point of view of other parties. Rather than impose, take decisions after open consultations," the CPI leader said.