CPM suffers massive desertion in Cheiryanadu, Chengannur, Alapuzha district. The issue exploded in connection with the alleged CPM link with the Social Democratic Front of India (SDPI), the political arm of the out-lawed Popular Front of India (PFI).
Thirty-eight party members, including four branch committee secretaries, have resigned from the party in the wake of the alleged link of Sheed Mohammed, Cheiryanadu South local committee (LC) secretary and Area Committee (AC) member, with SDPI.
The issue occurs in Chengannur, the assembly constituency of Saji Cheriyan, the cabinet minister and CM State secretariat member. It is reported that the unholy nexus has been going on there for a long. The resignation letter is said to have alleged that the SDPI leader is the business partner of Sheed Mohammed. They alleged ‘mutual adjustments’ behind the rout of CPM hence an SDPI win in the LC secretary’s own ward during the last Panchayat elections in December 2020.
They alleged that LC secretary Sheed Mohammed did not bother to organise the “Anti-Communal Campaign” called for by the State committee in his jurisdiction. They have reportedly raised a serious allegation that the ‘LC secretary is CPM in the day light and SDPI after sunset’. This is nothing but the true echo of the allegations RSS, BJP, and Sangh-inspired organisations and other nationalist movements have been alleging for the last several years.
One of the most popular political commentators in the State, who is also a CPI member, disclosed to this correspondent four years back that lot of Muslim CPM men are cadres of fundamentalists in the night. According to him, it was beneficial to both: CPM gets well-trained cadres for action plans, and the fundamentalists get an image of mainstream political party cadres.
Resignation letters cite reasons for SDPI’s election win in the Ward VIII of Cheriyanad Panchayat, where CPM leader Sheed Mohammed lives. Sheed runs a restaurant with PFI leader Ashiq and his brother Ashad there.
Ashiq is an accused in the (ABVP leader) Vishal murder case. Vishal was murdered by alleged PFI workers on July 17, 2012. Workers had expressed their objection to this notorious alliance to the leadership several times. But, did not avail, thanks to the minority appeasement-cum-vote bank politics. Another hitch was the reported link of a DYFI man with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a partner in the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (LDF).
RSS, BJP and Sangh-inspired organisations have been pointing out the link of CPM with religious fundamentalist organisations. Now, the CPM cadres have started to admit this publicly. During the last elections, party rank and file had pasted posters, even at martyr memorials, highlighting the CPM-SDPI links.
The resignation letter of Lijo Joy, Cheiriyanad South LC member and Korandippallisserri BC Secretary, proves much power PFI commands in CPM. Sheed Mohammed had scolded Hindu comrades for wearing sandal paste tilak on their foreheads, a Hindu practice in Kerala. But, his own father was wearing a Muslim cap when he hoisted the party flag for the Kollamkadavu Town Branch conference of the party. It was very much in the presence of Sheed Mohammed. Neither Sheed nor any Hindu nor Christian comrade objected. The letter reportedly says Sheed’s SDPI connection, especially with the Vishal murder accused, is not fit for a ‘comrade’. Party and comrades hanged their heads with shame before the general public. When fanaticism is deep-rooted in the area, LC Secretary rubs shoulders with communal forces!!! It adversely affects the credibility of the (CPM) party. The letter reportedly says comrades like him have to watch, Sheed’s close interaction with fundamentalists, as mute spectators. When Joy questioned it, pat came Sheed’s response; he shouted: “Go and join BJP”. The critics are humiliated. Despite the demand for the discussion in the AC meeting, nothing happened, the letter says.
Even otherwise Alappuzha district unit of CPM has been facing a lot of serious internal fights over the last few years. Once, it went to the extent of demolishing the statue of P. Krishna Pillai, the founder father of the communist movement in the State. Incidentally, the statue stood in the district committee office premises. Recently a prominent leader invited the wrath of party ranks and the general public when a goods carrier owned by him was caught by the excise and police departments as it carried drugs. He tried to disown the responsibility saying that he had rented out the vehicle to someone else; hence he had nothing to do with it. He added that he is a Muslim who prays five times a day. A typical vouch only the minorities in the party are entitled to flaunt.
If a Hindu says that he is a temple goer hence he ‘can’t do no wrong’, he will be thrown out from the party immediately. And the party would raise its Congress resolutions that it has nothing to do with any religion. There were reports that even a party resolution once asked the rank and file not to go for Ganapathi Homam (Vikhneshwara Pooja) for ceremonies like house warming, etc.
Until recently, the CPM links with Islamic fundamentalists were the issues Sangh and BJP men alone used to raise. Now, the matter has started to fume within. It looks like the beginning of a big start in the interests of the State and the country.
