CPI, the second biggest ally of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) on Saturday thundered at its triennial conference rally at Kollam, giving an ultimatum to the big brother, CPI(M), to stop humiliating the party or face the consequences.
“We have suffered enough. Don’t humiliate us, don’t insult us. We will not tolerate for a moment If you continue humiliating us in this fashion,’’ CPI leader C. Divakaran told the CPI(M) amid thunderous applause from thousands of workers assembled at the Corporation Grounds in Kollam to take part in the rally.
Coming down heavily on CPI(M) state secretary Pinaryi Vijayan for terming CPI state secretary C K Chandrappan as ‘petty’, Divakaran sought to know from the Marxists whether they had ever used similar words against political adversaries, including the BJP and RSS.
He said the CPI(M) leaders called some of us Dangeists. “What is wrong in being a Dangeist ? Before the split even you all were Dange’s supporters,’’ he reminded.
Referring to the charge that the CPI was the tail of the Congress, Divakaran said it was the CPI(M) which first came with the proposal of supporting Dr Manmohan Singh led UPA Government at the Centre and it was supported by the Left parties.
“It was the CPI(M), which after supporting the UPA Government, had cleverly manipulated one of its senior leaders, Somnath Chatterjee, getting elected as the Speaker ,’’ he said.
Don’t force us to rake up past stories, he said adding that the CPIM should remember that it came to power in 1980 only because P K V Vasudevan Nair resigned as Chief Minister.
``The CPI has suffered enough", he said.
Speaking at the public meeting CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said that the UDF Government was a weak dispensation and just a nudge would topple it. ``Our main aim is to throw the UDF Government out of power and replace it with a pro-people Government. The communist parties should work together and strengthen the LDF", he said.