CPI leader Binoy Viswam calls for unity amid tensions with CPI(M)

Binoy Viswam | Photo Credit: File Photo In an apparent sign of dialling down the simmering tension between the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] over the Deputy Leader of the Opposition post in the State Assembly, CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam on Monday said that CPI will not do anything that would weaken the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Speaking to the media in Delhi ahead of the CPI’s ‘Delhi Chalo, Badlaav Zaroori Hai’ (Change is Inevitable) rally on Tuesday against the Union government’s policies, he said that the CPI is fully confident of securing the post which rightfully belongs to it.“The CPI never wanted to raise this issue out in the open. We had raised it initially in internal meetings. The party’s demand is not for a specific post, but for bringing about a new culture of mutual respect within the LDF. The front faced an unexpected defeat, which we have to overcome. This can be achieved only through proper communication and a new style of working. The defeat has made us realise some wrongs which have to be corrected,” he said.When asked about CPI(M) State secretariat member C.N. Mohanan critical comments on the CPI, he said that neither CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby nor State secretary M.V. Govindan had made such comments. His response was similar when queried about Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan’s recent comments on the issue.“The leaders of the CPI and the CPI(M) have political clarity on the fact that Left unity is critical at this juncture. LDF is a collective of various parties with similar aims. There is no master-slave relationship within the front,” he said.Mr. Viswam accused the Modi government of attempting to scuttle the CPI’s rally by forcing the Indian Railways to cancel a special train that the party had chartered for its workers from Keralam to travel to New Delhi.“Now more comrades than the ones who were supposed to come in the special train are coming for the rally. The CPI is currently the biggest Left party at the national level, with activity in every nook and corner of the country. The Modi government is not invincible, as evident from how it had to bow in front of the student protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party,” he said. Published - August 31, 2026 08:58 pm IST