The Communist Party of India (CPI), the second-largest constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) after the CPM, has begun to publicly air its protest against state government signing of the PM SHRI. CPI State Secretary Benoy Viswam came down heavily on the CPM and alleged that his party was kept in the dark regarding the decision. He said it was not even discussed in the Cabinet.
Addressing a press conference on October 24, the CPI leader stated that the party executive would meet on 27 October in Alappuzha to discuss the latest fiasco further. The State Cabinet is scheduled to meet after the crucial CPI conclave. An irate CPI secretary asked, “What sort of government is this?” and warned that if the style of functioning does not change, the party would decide its next step. “Where is the collective responsibility?” he questioned. “How can such an important step be taken without informing any constituent of the LDF?”
Reports suggest that the CPI Secretary referred to the signing of the PM SHRI as a conspiracy. Benoy told the media that signing the PM SHRI amounted to a blatant violation of coalition ethics and alleged that the government was joining hands with the Centre.
Sources from Delhi indicate that the CPI General Secretary has dispatched a letter to CPM General Secretary M.A. Baby, criticising Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s stand on PM SHRI.
Meanwhile, the CPI rank and file have started flaring up. The Kannur District leader of the AIYF, the youth wing of the CPI, reportedly attacked the CPM Education Minister V. Sivankutty in a social media post. There are also reports of AIYF activists burning an effigy of the minister. Some reports suggest that CPI ministers may stay away from Cabinet meetings to register the party’s protest.
When asked if CPI ministers planned to resign, Minister G.R. Anil said they would comply with the party’s decision, whatever it may be. Although PM SHRI was not on the agenda, CPI ministers had earlier expressed their opposition to it.
General Secretary @MABABYCPIM on the motivated moves from certain quarters to generate confusion among the people about the education policies of the LDF government in Kerala. pic.twitter.com/oXNwrnrNXd
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) October 22, 2025
CPI leaders are also unhappy with CPM State Secretary M.V. Govindan’s alleged jibe, “Which CPI?”.
Meanwhile, V.D. Satheesan, Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader, has invited the CPI to join the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). The BJP, on the other hand, has ridiculed the CPM. The BJP State President commented that “wisdom has come late” and questioned why the CPM delayed the signing of the PM SHRI for two years unnecessarily.
Interestingly, Minister Sivankutty had recently met ABVP leaders at his residence when they visited him to submit a memorandum demanding the earliest inking of the PM SHRI. When asked about it, Sivankutty told the media there was nothing wrong in meeting ABVP workers. He added that the party’s policy would not remain unchanged forever, noting that they could not keep opposing the National Education Policy (NEP) perpetually.
Now, the larger question remains — what is the future of the CPI? The party cannot easily walk out of the LDF, as it is well aware that it would not win a single Assembly seat if it contests alone. Although it was once part of the Congress coalition from 1969 to 1979, it is uncertain whether such an arrangement is practical now, especially when the party continues to beat the drum for “Left unity” at the so-called national level.
