Will a mousetrap, civet cat, octopus or scorpion supplant the Communist Party of India (Marxist)‘s [CPI(M)] celebrated hammer, sickle and star as election symbol?
At a public meeting in Kozhikode on Saturday, party central committee member A.K. Balan mused on such an arguably beyond-belief possibility, inadvertently causing a stir in political circles and exposing the CPI(M)‘s flanks to an Opposition attack.
Mr. Balan appeared to candidly remark on the pivotal nature of the Lok Sabha polls by telling party workers that only a requisite number of MPs and a sizeable portion of the vote share would help the CPI(M) preserve its iconic symbol and national status.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee acting president M.M. Hassan sought to play on Mr. Balan’s words on Sunday. He noted Mr. Balan had “subconsciously chosen endangered species” as an alternative election symbol if the CPI(M) lost its hammer, sickle and star symbol. Fear of defeat lurked in the CPI(M) leadership’s psyche.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the CPI(M) was at its wit’s end. It was fighting to preserve its national status and poll symbol and required the BJP’s tacit help at the polling booth. In contrast, Mr. Chennithala said, the Congress fought to displace the Sangh Parivar from power. Mr. Chennithala also claimed that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would never face his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal’s predicament given the latter’s alleged symbiotic association with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Electoral space for BJP
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said Mr. Balan’s words indicated that the CPI(M) jockeyed to provide the BJP electoral space in Kerala at the expense of the Congress, an INDIA Bloc ally. For one, Mr. Satheesan pointed out that Left Democratic Front convener E.P. Jayarajan had said that the CPI(M) would render the Congress in third place in the LS polls.
Mr. Satheesan claimed that Mr. Jayarajan had inadvertently endorsed the BJP by stating that the party had fielded some commendable candidates in select constituencies. (Mr Jayarajan has since claimed that he merely cautioned CPI(M) workers not to take victory for granted.) Mr. Satheesan said the CPI(M) had calibrated its covert understanding with the BJP to relegate the Congress as an also-ran in LS polls. He noted that CPI(M) leaders remained cautiously silent about a three-time party legislator turning up at the BJP’s national headquarters in New Delhi to be feted by leaders.
