Sidefight on college row: Comrades vs SFI

Kerala's Marxists have painted themselves into a corner trying to rein in self-financing colleges in the state but the plot has gone further now...

Kerala8217;s Marxists have painted themselves into a corner trying to rein in self-financing colleges in the state but the plot has gone further now 8212; the party is now at loggerheads with its own student outfit, the Students Federation of India SFI, and abuses are flying thick and fast.

Trouble began with SFI state secretary M Swaraj8217;s speech yesterday in which he slammed the media and generalised journalists as 8216;8216;bastards8217;8217;. His outburst came after reports in the media against the SFI8217;s rampage in private self-financing colleges across the state. The colleges had approached the high court against the new law on admissions that the CPIM-led government had brought in. Even as the attacks were on, the SFI leadership, rapped by the CPIM state secretariat, did an abrupt somersault and tried to dissociate themselves from the attacks.

Today, Swaraj maintained that he had not aimed his remark at journalists as such. Addressing a press conference, he claimed that he was only reacting to the 8216;8216;bastard journalism8217;8217; employed by a section of the media to attack the SFI.

Swaraj8217;s remark resurfaced this morning as an embarrassed Chief Minister minced no words in slamming the SFI leader. 8216;8216;I don8217;t know how anyone born of their parents could use that kind of language,8217;8217; VS Achuthanandan said at the cabinet briefing today. The SFI8217;s agitation, he said, was 8216;8216;most inopportune8217;8217;, and had only helped the self-financing college managements close ranks against the government. The response from Swaraj was quick: he said he would bring to the Politburo8217;s attention a 8216;8216;particularly unedifying remark8217;8217; made about him by the chief minister, himself a Politburo member.

The face-off comes even as the CPIM was holding talks to defuse the tension and win back the support of the Christian and Muslim establishment that have openly criticised the government8217;s bill as 8216;8216;anti-minority8217;8217;.

This isn8217;t the end, though. Late this evening, the SFI secretary said the CPIM had no right to censure or control the SFI that his outfit was answerable only to its central committee. He added that he was taking the CM8217;s remark to the Politburo only because he was a member of the CPIM as well.

Party sources, however, say the chief minister8217;s uncharacteristic outburst against Swaraj may have more to do with scoring a factional point. Swaraj was handpicked by CPIM state secretary Pinrayai Vijayan, VS8217; reformist bete noire, for the SFI state leadership last year. Vijayan had begun a campaign to consolidate the feeder outfits soon after downsizing VS and his hardliners at the party8217;s state conference at Malappuram.

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A Pinarayi camp follower in his mid-twenties, Swaraj belongs to Nilambur in Malappuram, of north Kerala. A law graduate, he is now also a member of the CPIM8217;s area committee in Edakkara of Malappuram.