Thiruvananthapuram, November 17 : After trading barbs through press conferences on Thursday, the CPI(M) and CPI stepped up their fight over the issue of Thomas Chandy’s resignation by trading charges through articles in their respective mouthpieces on Friday.
CPI(M) mouthpiece ‘Deshabhimani’, in its editorial on Friday, slammed the CPI - the second largest constituent of the ruling LDF coalition - over the latter’s ministers boycotting Wednesday’s cabinet meet in protest against Thomas Chandy’s participation in the meeting.
The article doubles down on the CPI(M)’s description of the CPI’s boycott of the cabinet meet as “out of the ordinary” and a violation of coalition ethics.
“The style of functioning of the LDF is such that decisions on all issues are taken only after evolving a consensus among all constituents through talks within the front,” the article says.
“Should any constituent in the front have a divergent view on an issue, the LDF has always tried to iron out the difference through deliberations,” reads the article.
In an apparent dig at the CPI, the editorial says that the attitude that all parties in a front must toe the line of one of the constituents in the coalition is neither practical nor in tune with coalition ethics.
However, the events of the past couple of days will only serve to help the LDF’s detractors reap political capital, the article adds.
The CPI(M) mouthpiece editorial also tries to take apart CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran’s justification for his party’s boycott of the cabinet meet as an “extraordinary decision prompted by an exceptional situation”.
Stating that no such ‘exceptional’ situation prevailed then, the editorial says that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan apprised Thomas Chandy and NCP state leaders prior to the cabinet meet about the seriousness of the situation in the wake of the Kerala high court passing scriptures against Chandy.
The NCP leaders promised the chief minister that they would get back to him after consulting the national leadership before 10.30 am on Wednesday. Thomas Chandy tendered his resignation soon afterwards, acting on the chief minister’s suggestion, the article says.
The need for any drastic decision on the issue would have arisen only if Mr. Chandy and the NCP leadership had rejected the chief minister’s suggestion, the editorial reasons.
The CPI mouthpiece ‘Janayugam’ also carried an article in its front page on Friday rebutting the charges levelled against the party by CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan the other day at a presser over the CPI ministers’ boycott of cabinet meet.
