‘Can’t become Communist just by tattooing Che Guevara pic’: CPI flays CPI(M) in Kerala

The CPI, the biggest ally of the CPI(M) in Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front, has come down heavily on the latter after many CPI(M) members have been linked to criminal activities in the state. In an article titled, 'Relevance of ethics in politics, and criminalisation,' written by P Santhosh Kumar, Kannur district Secretary of the CPI, the CPI(M) has been vehemently flayed for not filtering out criminal elements and for not grooming the youth with 'real ethical values of the Left'.

"It has to be viewed seriously that some practices that challenge the ethical values of Left parties have grown, though rarely in Left parties. The fact that those who have direct connection with smuggling and quotation gangs in the state had worked with the Left parties, at least for a small amount of time, is stunning. There shouldn't be a situation in which rational thinking, social vigilance and a vast perspective about the world which the Left youth organisations acquired over the years should be questioned," the article reads.

Recently Arjun Ayanki, a former worker of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), youth wing of the CPI(M) was arrested in connection with an attempt to smuggle gold through the Karipur International Airport in Malappuram. Arjun Ayanki, though later claimed that he had no links with the CPI(M) for the past three years, he has been known as a Left person on Facebook with a huge fan following. Five youth who allegedly had links with a gold smuggling gang were killed in a Ramanattukara on June 21, the same day the Customs seized gold from a Malappuram native Mohammed Shafeeque Melethil, the person connected to Arjun Ayanki. Yet another person named Arjun, a DYFI activist, was recently arrested from Idukki for allegedly raping and murdering a child. Police alleged that Arjun had raped the child for years and after murdering her, he took part in her last rites.

"Some of the youth who are accused in the Ramanattukara case are youth workers of the Left parties of the neo-liberal era. It must be understood that the history of the arduous tracks of the Communist movement in Kannur (the strongest fortress of the CPI(M) in Kerala) did not enthuse them. Instead, what they did was to make money in any way possible, lead a luxurious life, and create a huge fan base on social media to create a heroic image and to deliver their 'masculine speech' . They shrewdly used the party for that," the article reads. The police in the Karipur gold smuggling case also questioned one Sajesh, a CPI(M) worker from Kannur. The car used by Arjun was bought by Sajesh. Sajesh has been suspended from the party for a year after the link popped up. 

"What makes the Left parties different from that of the Right is the sensitisation they receive at a tender age and strict values of organisational principles. However, the practical application of Marxist principles has not influenced these youth as it's evident from their criminal activities and from their lifestyle. They didn't even hesitate to take on the leaders who called out mafia activities. The acceptance they have on social media is embarrassing. This change, that should be accepted self-critically, would be precarious for the future of any Leftist movement," the article further reads.

The article further said that it's unfortunate that the basic sense that one can't become a Communist simply by tattooing the image of Che Guevara on their body or by clicking selfies with a red flag or by murdering political opponents, has not been passed on to them. It's shocking that these new generation groups have no knowledge about the fights of yesteryear Communist leaders," it said. The jibe was at Arjun Ayanki whose pictures show that he had a Che Guevara tattoo on his hand.