‘We lost in 2019 too, but this time BJP has undeniably grown in Kerala… Even sections from our citadels voted for BJP’: Kerala CPI chief

CPI National Council member, the party’s Kerala Secretary and a former Rajya Sabha MP, Binoy Viswam has led the criticism against senior partner CPI(M) over several issues since the Left Democratic Front suffered a second successive rout in the state in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The editor of New Age, a weekly published by the CPI, Viswam warned the CPI(M) Thursday that unless it reins in its students’ body SFI, which is accused of several incidents of violence on campuses, it could become a “liability”.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Viswam talks about what he sees as problems within the LDF in Kerala and why the need for urgent self-introspection. Excerpts:

It’s a setback, and should be seen as one. It was the people’s verdict. For us Communists, the people are the masters. When they give such a clear verdict, we are obliged to accept it, look within and ask ourselves why it happened. And we should find the reasons for the setback. We have to rectify the mistakes. That’s the only way forward. We are sure that this is not the end of history. History will continue, and in it, the Left has to play a role in shaping the future course of Kerala’s politics. We have to carry out a self-critical analysis of our performance. The reasons for our failure should be identified before the required course correction can be carried out.

The setback can’t be summed up in one sentence or confined to one factor. It has several aspects. One is the socio-political conditions, the various forces and the roles they played in this electoral battle. Did the sections of society we thought would support us do that, or was there any change in their attitude? We should also look into our policies, our performance, our government’s