Gender equality just a slogan for Kerala CPI-M as women leaders get over-shadowed

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 19 As Kerala CPI-M organisational polls get underway, party leaders and observers on Thursday expressed concern over poor representation of women in the party’s internal framework.

Party leaders advocating gender equality hoped a woman leader would get a chance to head a district unit as state organisational polls enter the last lap with the first district party meeting at Kollam getting over recently.

Hopes were raised for a woman leader getting a position of responsibility during the Kollam district committee proceedings when the name of J. Mercykutty, a former minister in the 2016-21 Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet, was doing the rounds for the post of district secretary. However, when the decision came the incumbent district secretary was asked to continue for a second three year term.

Another 13 district committee meetings are lined up in the coming weeks but Kerala CPI-M leaders are pessimistic about a woman occupying a top party district post.

“The only thing that party leaders can now hope for accommodation in the powerful state secretariat - the top state level party body,” said a woman party leader, refusing to be named.

At present, the 17-member state secretariat has only one woman, while in the party central committee there are two women from Kerala.

A media critic, on condition of anonymity, said the CPI-M is known for rhetoric over gender equality but their actions defy these claims.

“Senior party leaders get away with ignoring women colleagues’ progression in party framework as none speaks out due to party discipline,” he said.

Supporters of former Health Minister and legislator K.K. Shailaja claimed she stands a good chance to rise in the organisational ladder but what remains to be seen is if a women leader from Kerala would succeed in creating a space for herself in the new Politburo.

A new Politburo is expected to be elected by the newly-formed Central Committee at the upcoming 24th Party Congress in Madurai in 2025.

Kerala Left leaders also highlight the party’s poor track record in promoting women leaders and cite the example of the Congress which has deputed women as district committee heads.

Advocates of gender equality within CPI-M claimed that in the last six decades there has been no woman party Chief Minister, a woman party secretary and not a single woman leader has served as party district secretary in any of the present day 14 district committees.

Incidentally on two occasions a women leader of the CPI-M narrowly missed the post of the chief minister. The first one who missed it was the firebrand K.R. Gouri. E.K. Nayanar edged her out in 1987.

Later in 1994, she was booted out of the CPI-M and she formed her own party Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithi (JSS) and in 2001 to 2006 she became the Agriculture Minister in the Cabinet of A.K. Antony and Oommen Chandy.

Susheela Gopalan, wife of legendary Communist leader and the first Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha A.K. Gopalan, also came close to becoming the Chief Minister in 2001but Nayanar again got the nod from the party for the top post.

Incidentally, Nayanar did not even contest the 2001 polls and after he assumed the post of Chief Minister, he won a by-election to become a legislator.