Estranged Congress leader K V Thomas attends CPI(M) seminar in Kerala

The CPI(M)'s seminar on centre-state relations saw Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stress the need for a joint fight against the BJP government at the centre. The event was also attended by Congress leader and former union minister K V Thomas, who defied the diktat of the party high command.

Speaking at the seminar organised as part of the CPI(M) party congress at Kannur on Saturday, Stalin said that in the current political climate, it was important for like-minded parties to come together and bond to form a united front. He also stressed the need for state autonomy.

Vijayan said that the participation of Stalin at the event may mark the beginning of a new struggle against the BJP government at the centre.

Also read | Kerala CPI(M) longs for Cong's ruin; Thomas' decision wrong, says Muraleedharan

Both Stalin and Vijayan strongly flayed the policies of the Narendra Modi government, ranging from dismantling of the Planning Commission to moves to impose Hindi. Stalin said that the union government often breached the jurisdiction defined by the Constitution and was encroaching on the powers of the states. He also stressed the need for forming a collective of chief ministers of South Indian states.

Meanwhile, sources said that even as the CPI(M) was projecting the participation of DMK leader Stalin at the seminar as a step towards formation of an alternative front against the BJP, the indifferent attitude being maintained by the CPI(M) in Kerala towards the Congress may not go down well with Stalin as DMK maintains a strong relationship with the grand old party.

During the deliberations in the CPI(M) party congress, leaders from Kerala had reportedly raised strong objections against an alliance with the Congress and insisted on regional alliances, even as a large section in the party feels that the only the Congress could lead an alternative front against the BJP.

The seminar was also marked by the participation of Congress leader and former union minister K V Thomas, who defied the diktat of his party high command that told leaders to stay clear of the CPI(M) congress. He said it was a time for all democratic forces to stand united against to fight the BJP.

The CPI(M) party congress will conclude on Sunday with the election of new office bearers. Sitaram Yechury is most likely to remain as the general secretary.

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