Jayarajan flags CPM organisational weaknesses, says party failed to counter opposition propaganda

Kannur: Senior CPM leader E.P. Jayarajan has criticised the party's organisational weaknesses, saying it had failed to effectively counter attacks and propaganda from its opponents.

Jayarajan made the remarks at a meeting convened to form the welcome committee for the extended district committee.

He said a large number of party branches were not functioning effectively and that branch meetings were being held only occasionally. Party members were failing to fulfil their responsibilities, while branch secretaries were unable to provide effective leadership, he said.

The local and area committees had also failed to identify and correct these shortcomings, Jayarajan said.

He added that the party had been unable to effectively counter the propaganda that the CPM had ties with the BJP.

"The wrong tendencies of some individuals are affecting the party. This has alienated people from us. There are allegations that we are a party that goes around only collecting money," he said.

Jayarajan also said the party had failed to counter propaganda portraying its support for Palestine as an attempt to appease Muslims.

He said the Opposition had used issues such as Sabarimala to create polarisation among the majority religious community. Since 2016, minorities had viewed the CPM as their protector, but the propaganda campaigns by the UDF and BJP aimed at undermining this support could not be effectively countered, he said.

At the same time, organisational weaknesses and lapses in candidate selection were used against the party, Jayarajan said. These factors had reduced public regard for the CPM and weakened its relevance as a left-wing party, he added.

"Losing power is not the main issue; the decline in votes is. A situation arose where our own voters voted against us. Those working at the leadership level crossed over. When all these things happened, the opponents' propaganda became sharper," Jayarajan said.