CPM dissent widens in Palakkad; rebels invite PK Sasi to open convention

Palakkad: Highlighting the deepening rift within the CPM in Palakkad, party rebels have announced that former Shoranur MLA P.K. Sasi will inaugurate their district-level convention on Thursday.

The meeting, organised under the banner of the ‘Palakkad District Marxist Collective’, will be held at Sree Parvathy Kalyana Mandapam in Palakkad at 10 am. The convention is expected to bring together former CPM members and activists who have distanced themselves from the party, citing dissatisfaction with the functioning of the district leadership.

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According to M. Satheesh, leader of the Democratic Marxist Front in Kozhinjampara and gram panchayat president, P.K. Sasi has been invited to inaugurate the gathering. The event is being seen as a significant show of strength by dissident Marxist groups in the district.

Organisers have also released posters announcing Sasi as the inaugural speaker. However, Sasi said he had only been personally invited by workers recently and had not yet confirmed whether he would attend the meeting.

Political observers view the Palakkad Marxist convention as a significant development, as similar attempts led earlier by leaders such as MR Murali and P A Gokuldas had not resulted in such a district-level gathering.

Party leaders are therefore watching the event closely, seeing it as a possible public challenge to the CPM district leadership.

The rebel faction expects participation from former party workers and sympathisers across the district. Leaders associated with the Mannarkkad faction said more than 500 people from the Mannarkkad constituency, where Sasi retains influence, are likely to attend.

In addition to the Democratic Marxist Front in Kozhinjampara, several other groups are expected to participate in the convention, including the Voice of Vadakkancherry and the Mannarkkad Janakiya Secular Front.

Satheesh said the organisers also have the moral support of five district committee members who are unable to attend the event in person.

Former Vadakkancherry area secretary K Balan and area committee member P Gangadharan have already announced that they will participate in the convention.

Satheesh said the gathering aims to bring together party workers who felt sidelined or affected by the actions of the CPM district leadership over the past two to three years.

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“This should not be viewed as a platform to demonstrate strength. It is a meeting of genuine party workers who have been affected by the functioning of the district leadership,” he said.

He also claimed that Sasi, who was later demoted to the branch level in the party, had become one of the most neglected leaders in the district despite his earlier influence in Palakkad politics.