Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 31 (IANS) Kerala CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam on Wednesday acknowledged that sections of the electorate had drifted away from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the recent local body elections, but asserted that the front’s core support base remained intact.

Calling the verdict a wake-up call, Viswam said the Left must learn lessons from the setback, make timely corrections and move forward without delay.

He candidly admitted that the government had failed to effectively communicate its achievements to the people, describing this as a critical lapse.

The lessons from the local body polls, he said, would be decisive in shaping the future course of the Left.

Viswam stressed that preparations for a third consecutive term should begin immediately and that the reasons behind various social groups distancing themselves from the LDF needed to be identified through honest introspection.

“The people are supreme,” Viswam said, adding that sincere and transparent communication with the public was the only way forward.

He revealed that criticism had been raised against the party leadership during CPI internal meetings, but clarified that such criticism was aimed at strengthening, not weakening, the LDF.

Media reports portraying internal discussions as damaging to the front, he said, were “mere stories”.

Describing the local body poll defeat as unexpected, Viswam said it did not signal the end of the road for either the LDF or the CPI.

He expressed confidence that the Left would rectify its mistakes and reiterated his belief that a third term for the LDF was assured.

As part of the corrective process, Viswam said the CPI would undertake a house-to-house outreach programme from January 15 to January 30 to directly engage with people and understand their concerns.

On national politics, Viswam launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that Congress Working Committee members Shashi Tharoor, Digvijay Singh and Salman Khurshid were “BJP supporters at heart”.

He reiterated that the LDF would never compromise with religious extremism.

Referring to the Sabarimala gold-related controversy, Viswam said there would be no leniency for anyone involved in misappropriation of assets, irrespective of their identity.

The SIT probe must proceed without interference, he said, and those who benefited unlawfully must be punished.

–IANS

sg/pgh