Kannur, Feb 6 Three days after the release of the book of expelled CPI-M leader V. Kunjikrishnan, the row with the party intensified on Friday, with a war of words breaking out, with Kannur district party secretary K.K. Ragesh and Kunjikrishnan levelling charges at each other.
Responding to Ragesh's remarks, Kunjikrishnan said the Kannur district party secretary's statements had "no connection whatsoever with the truth".
Ragesh had alleged that Kunjikrishnan's book launch turned into a gathering of anti-CPI(M) forces, claiming that even members of the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) were present and that several participants attended.
As many as 2,500 books was sold in a matter of an hour at the time of the book launch.
Rejecting the allegation, Kunjikrishnan asked whether CPI-M workers in Payyannur could honestly brand those who attended the event as "anti-party".
He said the event was attended by CPI-M workers, relatives of party members and sympathisers, and stressed that it was not an official party programme but a public event open to all.
"Anyone can attend a public programme," he added.
Taking strong exception to being labelled "anti-CPI-M", Kunjikrishnan asked when and why such a tag was attached to him.
He said he had been raising these issues within the party for the past four years and had waged a sustained internal struggle.
"It was only when that effort failed that I chose to speak to the public," he said, accusing the CPI-M leadership of attempting to reduce the issue to one of personal animosity.
Earlier, addressing a press conference, Ragesh had dismissed allegations of misappropriation of the martyrs' fund as a product of imagination.
He alleged that the book's contents were driven by personal vendetta against CPI-M leader and Payyannur MLA T.I. Madhusoodanan and criticised Kunjikrishnan for allowing his grudge to cloud his judgment.
Ragesh said the CPI-M would not present its accounts before television channels, but would place them before the people.
He added that income and expenditure details would be explained transparently in party's family meetings.
"We will present the accounts before the people, not before media cameras," he said.
The escalating exchange has brought renewed attention to internal dissent within the CPI-M in its Kannur stronghold, with the controversy threatening to spill beyond organisational boundaries and intensify public scrutiny of the party's internal functioning.
The issue has rocked the CPI-M but the leadership has been putting a brave face, but the social media is flush with activity.
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