It is for the party to decide whether I should step down or not: Pinarayi Vijayan 

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan admits the BJP’s vote share has increased in the State, and the CPI(M) would seriously introspect the general election results; he also says only his party can decide whether he should step down or not, and rejects allegations that the CPI(M) has been soft on the RSS

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is in Delhi to attend the Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), rejects allegations that the party has not effectively countered Hindutva politics in the State and has been “soft on the RSS”. He also spoke to The Hindu on various other issues. Edited excerpts. 

Also read | The Kerala Left needs to look in the mirror 

A review of the 2024 general election by the CPI(M)’s Central Committee noted “erosion” in the party’s “traditional base in several constituencies to the BJP” and also found that the party did not pay sufficient attention to counter “Hindutva politics”, which resulted in the CPI(M) yet again being limited to only one seat. Your comment. 

I don’t think that is what the review said. It is not correct to say that CPI(M) in Kerala did not effectively counter Hindutva politics. It is a fact that BJP’s vote share has increased. We are seriously introspecting the results and looking for what went wrong on our part. But if you were to closely examine the single seat - Thrissur - that the BJP won, you will find that it is not because we lost ground, but because the Congress polled 86,965 fewer votes in 2024 in comparison to the 2019 general election. On the other hand, the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) vote share had registered a small increase of 16,196 votes.

But the Committee document says that the Left voter has moved to the BJP.  

Many sections of our supporters who stand by the LDF make different choices during the general elections. They vote to defeat the BJP, and since they believe that the Congress is better placed to stop the BJP at the Centre, they support the Congress instead of us. But despite the fact that many of our co-travellers extended support to the Congress, the party still could not stop the BJP. Thrissur stands as an example. We are however not complacent. We are introspecting on whether the BJP has gained votes at our cost too. 

Do you see the BJP emerging as the third pole in an otherwise bipolar polity of the state? 

Not yet. But we cannot deny the fact that the BJP has set itself a long-term goal to capture Kerala. When the BJP won the Nemom Assembly constituency in the 2016 election there was a similar chorus about its onward march to Kerala. But at that point too we had said that it was only episodic and due to active collusion of the Congress. Thrissur is no different. At the same time, we are not ignoring the fact that BJP’s vote share has grown in every constituency. 

In this context, when you are facing a resurgent BJP, how do you react to the allegations that top ranking police officers and your staff members have been meeting RSS functionaries in secret and that the CPI(M) is soft on RSS?

The Left, and especially CPI(M), have always stridently opposed the RSS and other Hindutva forces. Many of our comrades have lost their lives standing up against them. No one in Kerala can believe these canards. We must understand the reasons why such allegations are being levelled. Minority communities form a significant proportion of Kerala’s population. For a long time these communities stood by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). But that has changed. The minority groups are now supporting the LDF. Knowing fully well that this will electorally hurt them, the UDF are deliberately trying to create confusion, levelling these false allegations that we are soft on the RSS. This campaign is only aimed at political gain. There are other extremist elements too at work, who are promoting communal divisions. When our government acts against Muslim extremist elements, these forces try to project that we are acting against Muslims. For example, 150 kg of gold and hawala money worth ₹123 crore were seized by the State police in the last five years from Malappuram district. This money is entering Kerala for “anti-State” and “anti-national activities”. The allegations that you are referring to are a reaction to such action by our government. As for Mr. Anvar, we have already constituted a special investigation team, to probe his claims. 

The 23rd Party Congress fixed an age ceiling. Members of the CC who are above the age of 75 years will have to retire to make way for younger colleagues. Keeping this in mind, ahead of the next Assembly election in Kerala, will you too offer to step down? 

It is not for me to answer this question. An individual cannot decide, the party runs on collective decisions. We will continue with the age-ceiling and as far as my case is concerned, it is for the party to decide. I have always worked for the party and as per the broader consensus.  

Rahul Gandhi said that Sitaram Yechury was the bridge between Opposition parties, who held together the architecture of INDIA bloc, because he was flexible. Do you believe that his successor should be able, much like him, to engage with other parties?  

Sitaram had that unique ability. He could reach out to anyone irrespective of ideological differences and work closely with everyone. In the present Indian political context, it is essential that secular democratic forces work together. We will continue to cooperate with other Opposition parties under the banner of INDIA bloc. But we cannot pick our general secretary according to the wishes of other parties. I don’t think his successor needs to be compared to Sitaram. The best candidate, who will safeguard the party’s interests, will be picked as the general secretary according to the laid down procedure. 

Wayanad saw unprecedented destruction on July 30. Has the Centre released the necessary funds for rehabilitation? How has the Centre’s response been so far? 

The Centre’s initial response was good. Prime Minister Narendra Modi came and spent a lot of time there. We submitted a detailed memorandum on the measures needed for rehabilitation. Financial and other assistance is dependent on the Centre’s guidelines to deal with natural disasters. There is a huge gap between what these guidelines can offer and what we actually need. I had met him (Mr. Modi) recently to remind him again about our memorandum. I was told that the Centre is examining it. But we do wonder why the Centre is taking so long in clearing the financial package, whereas, in other instances, the Centre had shown unusual alacrity. 

The Union Cabinet recently approved a proposal for simultaneous elections. What is your government and CPI(M)’s stand on the issue? 

We can’t agree to such an idea, because it ignores the political diversity and variations in our States. There is no reason or justification to synchronise the schedules of State Assembly and general elections. How can you curtail the term of an elected government in the State, only to abide by a schedule? This is against democratic principles. 

Published - September 29, 2024 08:48 pm IST