A day after the conclusion of its state conference in Kollam, voices of dissent and protest surfaced in the Kerala CPI-M with party leaders resorting to an unusual protest over not getting a place in the CPI-M state committee and secretariat.

This is the first time in the CPI-M that those who were not included in the committees have come forward to protest after the state conference.

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Senior CPI-M leader and former MLA A Padmakumar has expressed his dissatisfaction over being left out of the party’s state committee and the decision to include Health Minister Veena George as a special invitee to the CPI-M state committee. Senior party leader P Jayarajan’s son Jain Raj expressed his protest over his father’s exclusion from the CPI-M state secretariat. Jain Raj posted a previous post of party leader M Swaraj which says, “Did you still expect a different fate in today’s India?”

It was expected that senior party leader P Jayarajan, who was sidelined in 2022 for allegedly attempting to form a personality cult around himself would be elevated to the Secretariat this time .But it did not happened.

Prominent women leader of the party, N Sukanya, who was expected to reach the state committee from Kannur, also came forward with indirect criticism. She expressed her resentment in a social media post, quoting Guevara: “If you tremble with anger at every injustice, you are my comrade.” But later, Sukanya explained that the post was not a criticism of the leadership.

It has been reported that J Mercykuttyamma had protested at the conference itself for not considering her inclusion in the state committee. There is also disappointment among the ranks that MB Rajesh and Kadakampally Surendran, who were expected to reach the state secretariat, but were left out.

Padmakumar, CPI-M’s Pathanamthitta district secretariat member and a former MLA, has come out in the open expressing his disappointment over being excluded from the state committee. He publicly stated that despite his “52 years of service”, he was “passed over” at a conference for a seat in the state committee.

“Deceit, betrayal, insult – 52 years of dues. Lal Salaam,” Padmkumar wrote in a Facebook post after being denied elevation to the CPI-M state committee at the party’s state conference, which concluded in Kollam on Sunday. As the post became controversial, he later withdrew it. However, while speaking to reporters on Monday, he continued to express his dissatisfaction.

He stated that he is stepping down voluntarily at the age of 66, ahead of the CPM’s standard retirement age of 75.

Padmakumar pointed out that K P Udayabhanu and Raju Abraham from Pathanamthitta were inducted into the state committee, which he had no objections to. However, he questioned Veena George’s rise within the party, arguing that she had never actively contributed to its organisational work.

“She was brought in as a candidate by us. Someone with no background in party activities has now become an MLA twice, then a minister. She is undoubtedly a capable woman, but placing her in a top organisational role solely based on her parliamentary work has naturally raised concerns among many. Someone had to say it out loud, so I did,” he said.

Indirectly referencing Veena George’s inclusion, Padmakumar said, “Her nine years in the party are apparently more important than my 52 years. She is far more capable than me, I suppose. That must be why I was sidelined. There is nothing more to it.”

As Padmakumar’s protest gained media attention, local leaders from the BJP and the Congress attempted to persuade him to join their parties. However, Padmakumar rejected their offers. “I am still with the CPI-M. I only voiced my concerns about certain organisational matters. When it comes to political and organisational decisions, the party is always right. I have no plans to leave the CPI-M,” Padmakumar said.

“My political journey began during the Emergency. I did not join the CPI-M expecting committee positions. At this moment, there is no question of joining any other political party,” he added

Meanwhile, the CPI-M has initiated a move to pacify Padmakumar. As part of this, CPI-M Pathanamthitta District Secretary Raju Abraham visited Padmakumar’s house in Aranmula and held discussions with him

After the meeting, Raju Abraham said the party would look into the dissatisfaction over not including Padmakumar in the state committee. Padmakumar’s complaint will be discussed in the presence of state leaders, he added.