Kollam: The on-going 24th CPM state conference Saturday unanimously endorsed the new brand of Communism in Capitalism clothes for Kerala that has been crafted by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while elevating him to an iconic status and blurring the lines between the party, the government and Pinarayi.
Pinarayi’s policy document ‘Novel Ways to New Kerala, presented at the conference, has clearly indicated a major policy shift. Unlike the past, the CPM has proposed to end “protectionism” extended to loss-making PSUs that are beyond revival and instead hand them over on a platter to private entities to operate on a PPP model.
The CM’s policy document has taken major strides in the shift towards capitalism that the party had adopted in its last meet in 2022 in Ernakulam. The document presented at this year’s conference, however, goes one step further and advocates for private capital in different sectors, including health and tourism.
The government must welcome any kind of capital investment if it comes without any strings attached, says the document.
The conference also paved the way for a record third term in government for the CM. That Pinarayi remains the only undisputed leader of the CPM in Kerala is the message emerging from the discussions at the party meet. At the discussion on the organisational report, Pinarayi got a grand ovation for leading a one-man fight for the party.
However, critics of Pinarayi, who have been ousted from the party, have launched a scathing attack on Pinarayi, accusing him of transforming the CPM into an extension of the government and turning the government into a mere arm of the party. They criticised the CM for consolidating absolute control over both the party and the administration.
The party has been completely hijacked by Pinarayi. Today, CPM leaders in Kerala have been politically castrated -- everything the party once stood for has been discarded under Vijayan, who has taken over both the government and the party," CP John, a former member of the party was quoted in the media.
Critics have also warned that Kerala is going the West Bengal way where leaders considered themselves above the party, leading to a disastrous end for the CPM.
