CPM expels P K Sasi from party after joining ‘real’ Communists

PALAKKAD: CPM on Thursday expelled former MLA P K Sasi from the party soon after he lashed out at the party Palakkad district leadership at a convention of dissidents at Chandranagar.

CPM district secretary E N Suresh Babu announced the party decision.Earlier, Sasi inaugurated the convention, which was attended by hundreds of people who had distanced themselves from the party in Palakkad. Sasi, who recently resigned as chairman of the Kerala tourism development corporation (KTDC), is reportedly planning to contest the assembly election from Ottapalam constituency as an independent.The former Shoranur MLA, who was demoted from the district committee to the branch level in 2024, had been critical of the party district leadership during the last local body elections.

He said that real CPM comrades had attended the convention.“This is not a group of rebels but of those revolutionary communists who did not surrender their spirit and who uphold self-respect and dignity,” he said. Sasi said thepeople attending the convention did not desire such a situation but were forced into it due the prevailing circumstances.“In the past five years, using govt facilities, the ill acts of some leaders in Palakkad cannot be justified.

I don’t want to explain all those corrupt acts here,” he said, pointing at corruption and illegal spirit trade involving the party’s district leadership.“A prime accused in a spirit smuggling case was elevated to the party district leadership. Those who raised their voices against illegal acts and those who took a strong stand for truth and for the party faced disciplinary actions, including suspension, demotion and termination,” he said.He said some sincere party leaders even lost their jobs for standing up for the party.“There was no dearth of fund collections during elections. I don’t remember a period when such fund collection drives were held before,” he said.Sasi also strongly criticised Suresh Babu, calling him a “spirit trader”. He alleged that Babu raised false allegations against leaders in various party committees, after which they were demoted or suspended.

He added that seven district committee members have told him that they support the dissidents and would quit the party at the right time.The convention was organized by a group led by former Kozhinjampara panchayat president M Satheesh, who had quit the party. Within an hour of the convention, the state leadership, which was holding its state committee meeting, announced Sasi’s expulsion.