Hammer and tickle

Theres the old one about Kennedy meeting Khrushchev. Kennedy remarks on his own hobby,I collect jokes about myself. Khruschev replies competitively,Oh yes,me too,Ive got three camps full. Communist leaders know that laughter is subversive,and barely conceals insurrectionary impulses. No wonder that in Kerala,Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan got into a bit of hot water over his unseemly mirth at a press conference after his party was badly beaten in the Lok Sabha election. And so,without actually naming Achuthanandan,a piece in local CPM mouthpiece Deshabhimani attacked enemies of the Left who roared with laughter on the day poll results came out.

This time,the LDF seat share has shrunk from 18 to 4,out of an overall 20. Achuthanandans open war with state CPM secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has threatened almost to tear the party apart at the seams. Achuthanandan has made his opposition plain throughout the campaign,especially when the party controversially courted Peoples Democratic Party leader Abdul Nasser Madani in its eagerness to mop up Muslim votes. He has also been indecorously enthusiastic about the legal and investigative systems taking on Vijayan for involvement in the multi-crore Lavalin scandal.

And now that the election is over,what was once a squabble behind closed doors threatens to become a full-blown noisy altercation as seat-sharing arrangements are analysed. The CPM blames Achuthanandan for their rout in Kollam,a seat which they fought the RSP to contest. The Janata Dal Secular has also essentially deserted the sinking LDF ship. Factionalism is usually a sign of life ideological disagreement and power groupings are inevitable in party politics. But when diverse viewpoints cannot be constructively aired and harmonised within the party itself,it looks like the fratricidal farce currently playing out in the Kerala CPM.