The Left has suffered a setback in Kerala in the recent Lok Sabha elections. How do you analyze the results?

The setback for the Left in Kerala does not mean its collapse. There is a very distinct pattern of voting in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections. From 2009 onwards, you will find increasing divergence between the Left’s share of votes in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. From 42% then to 33% now, they have been coming down. (But) In the Assembly elections, you will find the vote share of the Left hovering around 45%.

This (the vote share dip in the Lok Sabha elections) is because a major section of the minorities as well as secular sections in other communities are increasingly concluding that the role of the Left in the national scene is very limited when voting against the BJP. They feel it would be better to support the Congress.

But the dip in the vote share is significant this time.

We are aware that the 33% vote share that the Left got this time is the lowest in the last five decades. There has been some erosion in the base votes of the Left. The poor — farmers, rural workers, and other workers — were the base of the Left. This was because the Left had taken initiatives to support them, giving them a sense of social security through pensions…

But the financial crisis, arrears in payment… created a kind of resentment which resulted in a negative vote. Many of the Left voters did not come to vote. Those who came to vote did not vote for the Left. So, this (the performance) should be seen from this perspective. Definitely, we are worried. But not for a moment are we thinking that there has been a collapse of the Left. .

The alienation of the core vote base should be a matter of big concern for any party…

It is a matter of deep concern.

Kerala has a financial policy with a very significant link in transferring support to the poor from the Budget as well as accelerating infrastructure development through off-budget borrowing, through the KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Fund Board), for example. All of a sudden, the Central government chose 2022 to strike at Kerala. That was the year in which the GST compensation came to an end. Also a year in which the revenue deficit grant from the Finance Commission tapered off and came to a zero….

This was deliberate. It was a mischievous intervention to scuttle Kerala’s finances and this created a crisis which resulted in resentment.

A word repeatedly being mentioned in the context of the setback to the CPI(M) is arrogance. The CPI(M) Central Committee has also concluded that ‘arrogant behaviour’ of the cadre from ‘top to bottom’ alienated people.

Yes. The second term (of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government) has increased arrogance among the cadre. That has to be mended. It is important that the party re-establishes live links with people.

There is also the issue of corruption in the local government, cooperatives and so on. We are critically examining the functioning of our party at all levels.

Is the criticism only about the cadre or does it apply to the leadership as well? You recently told the media in Kerala that ‘the language of admonition’ alienated people…

The Central Committee resolution has said that this kind of behavior is at all levels. Everybody will have to introspect whether you are alienating the people. The other alarming thing is that a part of our vote is going to the BJP.

The growth of the BJP is a big worry for the CPM?

The results show that the systematic work being done by the BJP, particularly their control over the temple committees, is having an influence among the Hindu community. Also the very systematic work done in the social media space among the believers and the kind of charity work that is being done. Now that it is very clear that they are having an influence, we will have to go all out against the Hindutva philosophy.

Also, their social engineering with caste organizations, which were earlier kept out of politics in Kerala. Now, the BJP has succeeded in building bridges between the caste organizations and the Hindutva bandwagon. That also means that some new positions will have to be forged by the Left to address this issue.

How do you plan to counter this social engineering?

We had taken a deliberate decision to disassociate with all temple committees. But then the RSS took over (these temple committees). We changed our position. Party members will not be taking up positions but we will encourage independent and secular people to head temple organizations.

The rank and file of lower castes, such as the Ezhavas and the Dalits, have been the solid vote bank of the Left. But now their caste organizations are being wooed by the BJP. Our cadre in these castes is not going to be silent spectators to this intervention by the BJP.

Assembly elections in Kerala are just two years away. What can the party do to recover lost ground?

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections too, we got just one seat and a 35% vote share. But we won the 2021 (Assembly) elections. We intend to repeat this.

The issue of arrogance that you mention… Is it because of the unprecedented second straight term in power? Do you see it as one of the negative consequences of a second term?

This comes as a timely warning from the people. We will rectify and move forward. You cannot compare the Left with the Congress and UDF (United Democratic Front) in terms of arrogance and corruption.