No friendly fire: CPI, CPM battle it out in Kerala

KOCHI: Questioning CPM leader Prakash Karat's statement in Kerala that allies like CPI should remember they are not in the opposition, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said his party's stand is that of the Left Democratic Front (LDF).

He said he was openly replying to the charges made by Karat, the former general secretary of CPM, because the latter commented about CPI publicly.

The dispute between the two major parties in the Left Front, namely CPI and CPM, took a new turn with Rajendran criticising the way the state police handled various issues. In all these issues, the CPI's stand is that of a Left party and not that of an Opposition, he said.

Listing out the issues in which CPI has differences of opinion with the state government, he said CPI had criticised the government when the state police killed Maoists in an encounter in the Nilambur forest area.

The Opposition party welcomed the development. But CPI did not approve of it, he said. According to him, the Left parties have always opposed such police action.

He said the CPI had opposed to the use of UAPA by the state police. He said while the Left parties in general welcome the RTI bill and has included it in the election manifesto in Kerala, the state has taken a stand against it.