Senior CPI(M) leader takes a dig at CM Pinarayi Vijayan, says he is not a captain but a comrade

The Chief Minister has clarified that people call him captain out of affinity towards him.

Taking a dig at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has often been referred to as captain during election campaigns, senior party leader P Jayarajan on Saturday said, “Communists never worship individuals. In this party, all are comrades and the party is the captain.”

Vijayan being described as the captain has sparked off debates within the Left party.

In his Facebook post, Jayarajan, who also hails from Vijayan’s Kannur district, wrote, “Certain people are getting restless over the growing popularity of the Communists. Only the Left holds high pro-people politics and welfare. When leaders get close to people, they exhibit love in various ways. Some would express their love by writing songs, certain others would go for tattoos. But Communists do not indulge in worshiping individuals. As CPI (M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, said all are comrades in this party, the party is the captain. Hence, the right-wing media and right-wing politicians need not get uneasy in the growing popularity of the Chief Minister. It is not individuals, but the party and the Left which are the assurance of the people.”

Hours before Jayarajan made the facebook post, Vijayan himself had come out with a clarification that there was no debate when it came to addressing him as captain. “People give such names to leaders out of affinity,” the Chief Minister had said.

CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran, however, expressed his displeasure over projecting Vijayan as the lone face of the Left Democratic Front. “The achievements of the government cannot be attributed to one person. It is the result of implementing the developmental agenda of the entire Front,” he added.

Jayarajan, who was once a close confidant of Vijayan, was denied a ticket this year. The move had drawn sharp reactions from his supporters. In 2019, he had contested the Lok Sabha polls from Kannur, but lost.

Ironically, in 2017, Jayarajan himself had come under fire from the state committee for allegedly glorifying himself when a video, showcasing him as the “star” of Kannur, had released.

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