Palakkad, March 28 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday launched a sharp attack on former Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader P.K. Sasi, now contesting in Ottapalam with United Democratic Front backing, calling him a “traitor” and asserting that “history has never rewarded betrayal.”
This is the first time Vijayan has attacked Sasi, who was his former party colleague and also a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Shornur in 2016. Addressing a Left Democratic Front election rally in Ottapalam, Vijayan’s remarks underscored the high political stakes in the constituency, where Sasi’s defection has added intensity to the contest.
Sasi, once a prominent Communist Party of India (Marxist) figure in Palakkad, had represented Shornur after winning the 2016 Assembly elections. However, he was denied a ticket in the 2021 polls, triggering a prolonged rift with the party leadership.
Though later accommodated as Chairman of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, he resigned from the post ahead of the elections, signalling a widening divide.
The break became final earlier this month when Sasi participated in a convention of party dissidents in Palakkad and openly criticised the district leadership.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) state leadership, which was then in a State Committee meeting, acted swiftly, expelling him from primary membership within an hour of the event.
With Sasi now in the fray, backed by the United Democratic Front, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has stepped up its attack, portraying his shift as political opportunism.
Vijayan broadened his criticism, targeting not just Sasi but also the Congress‑led front.
The Chief Minister accused the Centre of adopting an approach that seeks to weaken Kerala rather than support its progress, while asserting that the state remains a stronghold of secular values.
He said Kerala cannot accept the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party, and criticised the United Democratic Front for failing to challenge what he described as such policies in Parliament.
Vijayan alleged that the United Democratic Front’s stance effectively aligns with the Bharatiya Janata Party, claiming both share an interest in seeing Kerala weakened.
As campaigning intensifies, the Ottapalam contest has emerged as a politically charged battleground, with personal equations and ideological clashes converging to shape a high‑voltage electoral fight.
--IANS
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