Kannur: The branch meetings, part of the CPM's 24th party congress, have kicked off, and new issues are heating up discussions.

Party members in Kannur are voicing strong criticisms against the Home Department and the Chief Minister's Office, in the wake of allegations raised by MLA P.V. Anvar.

Questions are also being raised about who is protecting actor-turned-MLA Mukesh despite multiple complaints. The party is also facing criticism for fielding him as a Lok Sabha candidate despite earlier complaints.

The discussions in the meetings are progressing in such a way that they have not spared E.P. Jayarajan, who had faced disciplinary action.

Before the meetings began, it was anticipated that discussions would focus on corrective measures in the wake of the CPM's Lok Sabha debacle in Kerala and the party's pursuit of a policy framework. However, on the day the branch meetings started, P.V. Anvar made serious allegations against the state ADGP responsible for law and order. His criticism extended to P. Sasi, the Chief Minister's political secretary, who hails from Kannur. The allegations have been directed at the Home Department, shifting discussions from the expected topics.

There is growing discontent among many members towards the party leadership and the government, particularly after the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Many criticised the party's reluctance to take corrective action. Members used Anvar's allegations as evidence of the Home Department's failures. The fact that a ruling party MLA presented such serious allegations against the Home Department at a press conference was seen as a serious matter. Many spoke from the perspective of Anvar's arguments, criticising both the Chief Minister and political secretary P. Sasi.

The party started the meetings with the impression of having initiated corrective measures by taking disciplinary action against E.P. Jayarajan and P.K. Sasi. This was expected to help tone down the criticisms. However, Anvar's revelations came as an unexpected blow.

Even if action is taken against the police officers under scrutiny, the topic is likely to continue dominating discussions in the coming days. The ripples of these discussions are also expected in the local meetings scheduled for next month.

Various lapses of the Left government, including issues related to welfare pensions and local matters, were discussed in the branch meetings.

In just two days, 411 branch meetings were held across 4,394 branches. Representatives from the high-level committee responded to discussions on the activity report.