Opinion

CPI attacks Pinarayi Vijayan over local body election debacle

In an unprecedented public attack within the LDF, the CPI blames CPI(M)’s “arrogance” for its local poll drubbing, sharpening fault lines ahead of the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections

Kumar Chellappan

January 1, 2026

In an unprecedented public attack within the LDF, the CPI blames CPI(M)’s “arrogance” for its local poll drubbing, sharpening fault lines ahead of the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections

CPI-CPI(M) ties reach flashpoint

For the first time in the history of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front, the CPI, a junior partner of the Marxists have come out against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, describing him indirectly as an idiot. Binoy Viswam, the CPI Kerala secretary and the face of global Communist movements, told reporters at Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday that the drubbing received by the LDF in the recent election to Local Self Government Institutions was because of the arrogant nature of the CPI(M). “It is better if the CPI(M) corrects the mistakes before the Assembly election to be held during 2026 March-April. The shock defeat handed out to the CPI(M) is proof of the people’s hatred for that party. If the CPI(M) does not mend its ways, the voters are sure to hand out another punch to the party’s ego,” said Viswam, whose antipathy to Pinarayi Vijayan is an open secret in the State.

The Communist ideologist, Pinarayi Vijayan, giving a lift to SNDP Yogam (a collective of the numerically strong Eezhava community) General Secretary Vellappally Natesan in the former’s official car during a function, has antagonized the Muslims and Christians. Viswam also termed Natesan a cheat and a political opportunist.

The CPI intellectual, who is an internationally reputed poet, chose a new style of attack on Vijayan. “The meetings held by the CPI from city branches to the state council, after the poll results were announced, were highly critical of the CPI(M) and the chief minister. We in CPI are of the view that Vijayan and the Marxists should correct themselves lest the results of the Assembly polls would be entirely different,” said Binoy Viswam.

He also lambasted Vellappally Natesan, whom he accused of being a cheat. “I would not have touched him with the barge of a poll as Natesan is a communalist,” said Viswam. The SNDP Yogam general secretary earned the wrath of the Islamic extremists and the Communists for his open stand against minority appeasement. Natesan has been highlighting the discrepancies and discrimination being practiced by the Communists and Congress in the allocation of aided schools and colleges in the districts with a Muslim majority population. While Muslims are given all the schools and colleges they ask for, the majority communities are denied permission to open educational institutions.

Natesan just scoffed at the comments made by Viswam and described the latter as a cheat. “For the last ten years, the CPI enjoyed the fruits of power, and now they want the CPI(M) to be defeated in the upcoming polls. The chief minister is very close to me. Viswam, who is afraid of Vijayan, is targeting me to attack the chief minister,” said Natesan.

The significance of Viswam’s statement is that the CPI wants to move over to the UDF camp in the eventuality of the polls throwing out a hung Assembly. He is following the diktat of Islamic extremists to target Hindu leaders who openly question the special privileges enjoyed by the Islamists.

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