Kerala: CPI, CPM not on same page on Mani

Bengaluru: The delicate matter of how to deal with an influential Christian politician is threatening to drive a wedge between the ruling Communist Party of India in Kerala and its junior partner the Communist Party of India, or CPI. But alliance leader CPM is trying to woo Mani towards the ruling Left Democratic Front in order to retain power in Kerala, the only state ruled by the communists. It even opposed CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury’s proposal to forge an alliance with the Congress nationally ahead of the 2019 general elections. In the CPM’s calculation, the support of Mani, who remains an influential leader among Christians in central Kerala, is crucial to defeating the Congress, as the balance of power in Kerala shifts between the Congress and the CPM on the basis of a few seats. An alliance with Mani would deepen the depth of Congress’s break-down in Kerala, since he was a Congress ally for a long time, a senior leader of the CPM, requesting not to be named, had told Mint in an earlier interview.