V. Kunhikrishnan rejects Pinarayi’s charge, says Payyannur verdict reflects CPI(M)’s failures
Former CPI(M) leader V. Kunhikrishnan has publicly rejected allegations by Pinarayi Vijayan that he was responsible for the party's electoral defeat in Payyannur. Kunhikrishnan argued that the leadership is failing to address internal organizational shortcomings and is scapegoating dissenters.
Why it matters
This internal conflict reflects broader challenges within political parties regarding accountability and the management of internal dissent.
Former Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader and Payyannur MLA V. Kunhikrishnan has rejected Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan’s allegation that internal moves to weaken the CPI(M) and tie-ups with other parties had caused the party’s defeat in Payyannur in the recent Assembly elections, saying that the party leadership should examine its own failures and the reasons for the people’s verdict.
Reacting to Mr. Vijayan’s remark at a CPI(M) political explanation meeting in Payyannur on Saturday (August 29, 2026), Mr. Kunhikrishnan said there was no attempt to correct the organisational and political shortcomings he had been highlighting for years. “They have not said anything substantially different even now. There is no attempt at correction,” he told The Hindu on Sunday (August 30, 2026).
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