The CPI-M’s iron fist came down hard in Kerala, expelling former Palakkad MLA PK Sasi on Thursday following his bold participation in a rebel workers’ summit. This expulsion, executed with clockwork precision, exposes raw nerves in the party’s Palakkad unit.
Denied a 2021 ticket, Sasi’s rift with the hierarchy festered, despite a short-lived appointment to lead the state tourism body—from which he stepped down amid escalating tensions. Speculation of a full break peaked as he joined dissidents in Palakkad.
At the hour-long conference, Sasi and allies tore into district leadership, prompting the state committee’s instant verdict: expulsion for undermining discipline.
Party observers note this as a calculated message against indiscipline. Sasi countered by calling it a meeting of honor-bound radicals compelled by fate.
Opposition firebrand VD Satheesan recalled CPI-M’s past clearance of Sasi on integrity issues, questioning the flip. Palakkad’s 12 constituencies, a CPI-M near-monopoly in 2021 (10 wins), saw momentum shift post-local poll drubbing, swelling dissident ranks.
With fissures widening, CPI-M confronts a precarious path. The Sasi episode could foreshadow tougher times, testing the left’s resilience in Kerala’s cutthroat politics.