T’puram: The CPM central committee report blamed political, administrative and organisational failures, including a poll campaign that centred excessively on then CM Pinarayi Vijayan, for LDF’s debacle in the recently-held assembly elections. The party released it on its website a couple of days ago as it gears up for its expanded state committee meeting at the end of Sept.The party’s review of the assembly election results, adopted by the central committee at the July 11-13 meeting, said CPM’s vote share in Kerala dropped to a 40-year low of 21.77%. The report said the campaign’s focus on development and welfare without giving importance to politics proved ineffective. It said CPM failed to explain to the people the Centre’s alleged discrimination against Kerala, attacks on its federal rights and the constraints under which the LDF govt functioned.The report said centering the poll campaign on Vijayan gave UDF an opportunity to target him and weakened CPM’s political offensive against Congress and BJP. It acknowledged dissatisfaction over police high-handedness, inaccessible ministers and excessive dependence on officials. It listed unresolved issues such as KSRTC pensioners, construction workers’ pension arrears, traditional industries, increased building fees, cooperative institutions, agri workers’ arrears, mining and the wild elephant menace as other factors.CPM admitted that its mass and class organisations had largely stopped taking up people’s issues during the LDF govt’s 10-year rule and left grievance redressal to officials. The report said this weakened CPM’s image as a defender of workers, agri labourers and peasants. It flagged arrogance, corruption, nepotism and affluent lifestyles among a section of its functionaries and cadres. It said delayed action in controversies, including the arrest of former TDB president A Padmakumar and irregularities in cooperative banks, destroyed the trust the public had in CPM.The report criticised CPM’s candidate selection process, especially in Kannur. The party admitted its lapses in Payyannur and Taliparamba and said state leadership must accept its share of responsibility for this debacle. It conceded inadequate representation for women, minorities and youth and cited adverse public perception over shifting K K Shailaja from her constituency.The report said reading UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s message at Global Ayyappa Sangamam embarrassed the party and hurt its secular image. It said CPM’s response to SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan’s anti-Muslim remarks was inadequate and added that the LDF govt’s handling of the PM Shri controversy helped UDF’s narrative of an understanding between CPM and BJP.The report cited apathy among CPM cadres and failure to complete planned house visits. It said three functionaries rebelled and won against LDF nominees in party strongholds, exposing a gap between functionaries, members and voters. The central committee recommended urgent political and organisational rectification, cadre training, stronger grassroots struggles and sustained intervention against RSS-BJP’s expanding influence in temple committees and shakhas.
