Kerala Deputy Leader of Opposition not demanding a closed chapter, says CPI

Differences between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) over the demand for the post of Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly have deepened, with CPI State Deputy Secretary PP Suneer “declaring the issue closed” on Sunday (July 5, 2026).

The Rajya Sabha MP was responding to reporters’ queries on Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan’s recent remark that the CPI’s demand for the post was a thing of the past.

The CPI, the second largest component of the LDF, had demanded the post after the front’s defeat in the recent assembly elections. “It is not a closed chapter. CPI’s stand is that the issue should be discussed within the LDF. The matter cannot be closed unilaterally,” Suneer said.

Mr. Vijayan had earlier said that there was no tradition of having a Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the LDF.

Responding to this, Mr. Suneer said that even the country’s constitution can be changed and therefore tradition cannot be cited as an obstacle.

He also said that the CPI had taken a firm stand against the adoption of the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme when the LDF was in power. “The main problem is that whenever the CPI raised issues on various issues within the LDF, they were not taken seriously or discussed. We believe this was one of the reasons for the election loss. We want this to change and that is why we are demanding the post of Deputy Leader of the Opposition,” he said.

Mr. Suneer said the CPI would not withdraw its demand and reiterated that the matter should be discussed within the LDF. “We expect that kind of discussion to happen,” he said.

Earlier, CPI leaders Binoy Viswam and K. Rajan also made this demand publicly.

Apart from Mr. Vijayan, no CPI(M) leader has yet publicly commented on the issue.

The CPI is also unhappy that no LDF meeting has been called after the defeat of the alliance in the recently held Assembly elections.

Published – 05 Jul 2026 20:46 IST