Communist parties must unite, but need not ‘merge,’ says Binoy Viswam

The communist parties need greater unity in the present political context, but describing such unity as a merger would be misleading, Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary Binoy Viswam said on Sunday.

“Merger is a clichéd term. When we speak of unity among communist parties, it should not automatically be interpreted as a call for merger,” Mr. Viswam said while inaugurating a meeting organised by the CPI Thrissur district council in memory of former Kerala Chief Minister C. Achutha Menon.

Mr. Viswam said the government led by Achutha Menon had provided clear direction to successive Left governments in Kerala. He questioned the reluctance to recognise the Achutha Menon government as a Left government.

He also claimed that the LIFE Mission housing project was a continuation of the Laksham Veedu scheme conceived by former CPI leader M.N. Govindan Nair. He criticised the reported suggestion that pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be displayed in front of houses built under the LIFE Mission.

“Is there anything more petty than asking people to put up Modi’s picture in front of houses provided under the LIFE Mission?” he asked.

‘Undeclared Emergency’

Targeting Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, Mr. Viswam said the Congress leader’s claim to follow the Nehruvian socialist tradition was contradicted by his actions. He alleged that attempts were being made to take Kerala along the path of the RSS.

He further alleged that an undeclared Emergency was prevailing in Kerala, drawing a parallel with the political approach of the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah government at the Centre.

No change in CPI’s stand

Mr. Viswam reiterated that the post of Deputy Leader of the Opposition was due to the CPI and said there was no change in the party’s position. “This is not merely a claim. Positions in the LDF are not the exclusive right of any one party,” he said.

He said the CPI had a history of acknowledging and correcting its mistakes, including those committed during the Emergency. The CPI(M), too, had corrected its mistakes, he added.

The CPI would continue to work towards strengthening Left unity and would never allow anything to undermine the unity of the LDF, Mr. Viswam said. CPI district secretary K.G. Sivanandan presided. Former director of the Kerala Bhasha Institute V. Karthikeyan Nair delivered the memorial lecture. CPI State secretariat member and MLA K. Rajan distributed the endowments.