Kerala CPM embarrassed over renowned poet K Satchidanandan's critical remarks

The CPM in Kerala is initiating a damage control exercise as popular poet and Kerala Sahitya Akademi president K Satchidanandan reiterates that consecutive rule by the same party is not good for democracy.

CPM leaders called on Satchidanandan on Tuesday and held talks with him as the statement by one associated with the left front government caused much embarrassment to the CPM, that too just ahead of the assembly polls.

CPM district secretary K V Abdulkhader, who called on the poet, later said that the poet was making a general remark only and it was not related to the upcoming polls in Kerala.

Satchidanandan had stated that being in power continuously could lead to concentration of power and corruption. It could also attract persons with vested interests to the party. He also flayed that there was an increasing fear of criticising the leadership. He also cited West Bengal as an instance.

Congress camps are widely using Satchidanandan's remarks for attacking the Pinarayi Vijayan government. Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that Satchidanandan said what the Congress had been telling over the years.

Even as CPM camps tried to frame Satchidanandan's remarks as a word of caution only, he reiterated his stand in a social media post on Tuesday. He also strongly flayed the cyber attack against him.

Many other writers, including popular writer Sarah Joseph, also backed Satchidanandan's remarks.