How do you see the setback to the Left in Kerala in the recent Lok Sabha polls?

It’s a setback, and should be seen as one. It was the people’s verdict. For us Communists, the people are the masters. When they give such a clear verdict, we are obliged to accept it, look within and ask ourselves why it happened. And we should find the reasons for the setback. We have to rectify the mistakes. That’s the only way forward. We are sure that this is not the end of history. History will continue, and in it, the Left has to play a role in shaping the future course of Kerala’s politics. We have to carry out a self-critical analysis of our performance. The reasons for our failure should be identified before the required course correction can be carried out.

What do you see as the main factor behind the defeat?

The setback can’t be summed up in one sentence or confined to one factor. It has several aspects. One is the socio-political conditions, the various forces and the roles they played in this electoral battle. Did the sections of society we thought would support us do that, or was there any change in their attitude? We should also look into our policies, our performance, our government’s priorities and the Communist way of political and social life… All of these should be evaluated. In our own way, we should build a process of consultation with the people… We should open our minds and talk to them.. We should also politely ask our friends who were with us once and are now a bit critical… Such a large cross-section of people support the Left in Kerala. They may not be party activists, but their social fight has always been pro-Left. If such a section now feels that we made mistakes, we have been derailed… we should not complain, but ask them politely what they think.

Can you elaborate on this aspect?

A large section of Kerala believes that the Left is their political guide, that it’s trustworthy. They won’t shift from their track. Some of them say we have changed. We should not treat them as enemies but politely ask them why they think so, and what can be done to regain their trust. It covers a whole set of issues — political, organisational, social, and our style of functioning, our way of conducting political activities… We should not be seen as arrogant. Arrogance is not the Left way. The more we become strong, the more we remain in power, the more we should try to be humble. We have to make changes in our personal lives too, including the family.

What do you mean by personal life?

We should practise what we preach. For Communists, there are certain don’ts in social life. They should not be corrupt, they should not cheat the people, they should uphold certain values and a level of discipline in their social and political lives.

Are these values not being followed now?

People are making such remarks about us. We should understand that we are not above the people, but below them. We should accept that they are the masters. With that in mind, we have to self-critically evaluate what went wrong. That is the way forward.

When you talk of arrogance, are you referring to chief ministers, ministers or party workers?

It’s not fair to corner a particular person or group. I’m talking about the Left in general, which includes both the CPI and CPI(M). We are not trying to isolate the CPI(M). Whatever I am saying is applicable to both parties. The course correction should be led by the Left as a whole. Our purpose is to strengthen the LDF, for which we have to be self-critical… We have to win back the trust of the people. It has to be a collective attempt, in which the CPI and CPI(M) will have to play their roles.

Was there any anti-incumbency? How do you address that?

The LDF government was facing a serious financial attack from the Central government. It was more like a financial embargo. The reasons are political. The BJP government treated the only Left government in the country as an enemy. They tried to strangle the Left government, riding roughshod on principles of federalism…The state was facing several financial difficulties. So naturally, it affected our developmental projects, pro-people policies, and welfare measures.

Was that the only reason? Even within the CPI(M) there is criticism of CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s style of functioning… Some say his unwillingness to respond to allegations against his daughter put the Left on the defensive…

As CPI state secretary, I don’t want to corner the whole discussion around a single person, the CM. Whatever we have done is a collective achievement. Whatever we could not do is a collective setback. We don’t want to isolate our comrades in the CPI(M) and claim that they are bad and we are good. Corrections are equally applicable to both of us.

Your post-poll remarks about gold smuggling created a stir. Now you have hit out at the SFI…

The SFI is trying to tarnish the Left’s face. That isn’t its true philosophy and history. As a product of the student movement, I appeal to them to learn about the history of the student movement in India. They should be taught history. It began in 1936 with the birth of the AISF (the CPI’s student wing)… It fought for freedom, justice, democracy and equal rights… It fought for a real worthy, vibrant campus where ideas and thoughts can confront each other, so that campuses can be places for inquisitive knowledge, not for hooliganism and goonda raj. The SFI has a big following. It was once called the Left’s hope. That hope should not be undermined. But if it continues to conduct its activities in this manner, it would become a burden for the Left.

Your views on the BJP’s growth in Kerala, on the Left losing votes to it…

We had lost in 2019 too, when again we had got one seat. But the bigger change this time is the undeniable growth of the BJP in the state. The only political party that saw its vote share rise was the BJP. They came first in 11 Assembly segments, and second in eight. This is a serious issue, a big threat. I can’t say if only the Left’s vote migrated to the BJP. Both the UDF and LDF lost votes to the BJP. But our main concern should be that segment who thought we are a trustworthy force throughout their lives… even such people, who formed our mass base, have voted for the BJP. In many of our strongholds, which we used to call CPI/CPI(M) citadels… we found our votes were short. So we have to take up the task of self-critical analysis very seriously.