Thiruvananthapuram:
With barely four months to go for Assembly elections in Kerala, serious differences have emerged between the Left Front constituents CPI and CPM over their approach towards Congress-led UPA and tackling corruption.
"Mr Chandrappan had reportedly said it was a mistake not to join Congress-led UPA I government. How can we believe that a senior leader of CPI could make such a statement against his party's own stand? said Pinarayi Vijayan, State Secretary, CPM.
The CPM's public criticism of its key ally the CPI. This after the CPI state secretary C K Chandrappan said that the Left's decision not to join the Congress-led UPA I government at the Centre was a mistake. The CPI secretary was quick to hit back at Vijayan who faces corruption charges in the multi-crore SNC-Lavalin case.
"Our leaders have stepped down when corruption charges were levelled against them. That Communist ideal should always be followed," said CK Chandrappan, State Secretary, CPI.
The relation between the two parties had touched an all-time low during last year's Parliament election over seat sharing and tie-up with local parties. And after the drubbing in the local body polls this October, many CPI leaders had cited CPM's "arrogance" as the main reason for the loss.
"During the last 4-and-a-half years, a lot of inter-party issues had come up within the Left due to which many smaller parties deserted the coalition. But the big issue is the message this infighting is sending out to the people," said Dr G Gopakumar, Political Analyst.
Assembly polls in Kerala are barely four months away, with the CPM already reeling under factionalism, political analysts say this fresh round of fighting between the two allies could prove costly for the Left.