Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday said the CPI(M) Central Committee's review report on the party's Assembly election defeat had vindicated the allegations raised by the Opposition against the previous Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government.
Speaking with reporters after the Cabinet meeting, the CM said the report itself acknowledged that the previous government had compromised its secular position, an allegation the then UDF Opposition had consistently raised.
Referring to the report's criticism of the reading out of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's message at the Global Ayyappa Sangamam during the previous LDF regime, Satheesan said he had questioned the move at the time itself.
"Whom was the reading of Adityanath's message intended to please? What was the relevance of reading the Uttar Pradesh CM's letter at such an event? Most devotees visiting Sabarimala come from Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka," he said.
Satheesan demanded an explanation from CPI(M) veteran and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, noting that the party's Central Committee had itself concluded that the previous government had compromised the party's secular credentials.
He rejected the claim repeatedly made by CPI(M) state leaders that there was no anti-incumbency against the Vijayan government.
"The Central Committee's review itself says corruption in cooperative banks, pension arrears, tax hikes and other issues had fuelled anti-incumbency against the government," he said.
Taking a swipe at the CPI(M) state leadership, Satheesan said it would take years for it to realise these mistakes.
His remarks came a day after sections of the media reported the findings of the CPI(M)'s Review of Assembly Election Results, adopted at the party's Central Committee meeting held from July 11 to 13.
The internal review acknowledged that the party's Assembly election campaign in Kerala had become excessively centred on then-Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, allowing the Opposition to turn the election into a personal contest rather than a political one.
The report, endorsed after discussions in the Kerala state secretariat and state committee, said a perception had gained ground that the entire campaign revolved around one individual.
It identified political, administrative and organisational factors behind the party's electoral defeat.
The review admitted that the reading out of Adityanath's message at the Global Ayyappa Sangamam by a CPI(M) minister had damaged the party's secular image and created the impression that it was soft towards Hindutva communal forces.
It acknowledged that the party's response to anti-Muslim remarks by Vellappally Natesan was inadequate and that statements made by some leaders had alienated sections of the public.
The document stated that the controversy over PM-SHRI schools and differences with the CPI, an LDF ally, were exploited by the UDF to propagate allegations of a BJP-CPI(M) understanding.
The review came after the LDF suffered one of its worst electoral defeats in Kerala, winning only 35 of the 140 Assembly seats in the 2026 elections.
The Congress-led UDF secured 102 seats, while the BJP opened its account in the state Assembly by winning three seats - Chathannoor, Kazhakkoottam and Nemom.