Kollam: Veteran CPI leader and former Lok Sabha member, C K Chandrappan, was unanimously re-elected as secretary of CPI Kerala state unit by the state party conference of the party that ended here Saturday. The conference also chose an 89-member state council and nine-member control commission.
Suave and soft spoken, 75-year-old Chandrappan is an ardent Communist with an unsullied reputation. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Thalassery (Kannur) and Thrissur and to the state Assembly once from his hometown, Cherthala. Chandrappan later told reporters that the central theme of the party meet was strengthening the Left unity to build a "credible alternative" to Congress and BJP "both wedded to the neoliberal economic and pro-US foreign policies".
On the spat between CPI(M) and CPI in Kerala on the eve of their respective party meets, he said such "irritants" should not be allowed to come in the way of the unity of the Left parties.
In a dig at CPI-M leaders, however, he said while engaging in a political debate it was important to use decent words and expressions and ensure that certain standards were kept even when engaging political rivals.
CPI(M) leaders had termed as "quite deplorable" critical views aired by Chandrappan on contentious issues such as display of the painting of Jesus Christ at an exhibition organised by CPI(M) ahead of its state conference.
His comment that CPI-M was organising its state meet by roping in event managers had also stung the party.
Son of C K Kumara Panikkar, a leading figure of the Vayalar uprising on the eve of the freedom movement against the royal administration of the princely state Travancore, Chadrappan entered politics as an activist of the student and youth wings of the undivided Communist Party.
After the split in the Indian Communist movement, he chose to be with CPI and was known as a close adherent of the political line of Congress-Communist alliance.
He took over as the state secretary two years ago after the incumbent Veliyam Bhargavan gave up the party post on health grounds.
Tags: Chandrappan, re-elected, CPI, Kerala secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan
