Chandrappans comments irk CPI-M

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At the height of communist  parties’ efforts to regain their lost ground  and surge ahead with the culmination of the state conferences, CPI state secretary C K Chandrappan’s statement belittling the organisational prowess of the CPM and his criticism of the CPM over the ‘Last Supper’ portrait controversy has resulted in a severe setback to Left unity. Besides, Chandrappan’s statement that CPM had entrusted  event management groups to conduct its state conference in a professional manner, is being viewed as an insult to the thousands of CPM cadre who had been engaged in preparations for the conference.Reacting to the statement by Chandrappan which appeared in an interview in a leading Malayalam daily,  CPM  conference’s reception committee chairman M Vijayakumar and  general convener Kadakampally Surendran told a news conference here on Monday that a leader of Chandrappan’s stature should not have made such comments. “Chandrappan outsmarted even Congressmen in criticising us. Is he speaking for a Left party?  We are taking the issue seriously” they said.  Chandrappan’s statement was suicidal as well as an act denting the unity of the Left. He didn’t speak anything against the Congress party. Instead he had tried to rake up the Lavlin case once again with an apparent move to make it a discussion, they said. “We should have reacted a little earlier to his irresponsible statements belittling the great contributions of our party cadre. But we kept quiet as we had respect for him”  Kadakampally said. “ We have 2040 branches in the Thiruvananthapuram district and every cadre had been engaged in the preparations for the event” he said. Architect Shankar, Sreekaryam Anil and Nemom Pushparaj who had designed the expo venue, Harkishan Singh Surjeet Nagar, the gate and arches at Chandrasekharan Nair stadium, are our party members.  By using the term “event management“, Chandrappan had belittled the contribution of CPM cadre, he said. He also challenged Chandrappan to prove that any of the work related to the conference was entrusted with event management group. Vijayakumar said the LDF would naturally  discuss  Chandrappan’s behaviour. “There is no cure for jealousy and baldness. Chandrappan has both”  Vijayakumar remarked.