Overview
- Vellappally Natesan escalated his criticism of the CPI, arguing the party’s public stance on PM-SHRI created an impression of disunity within the LDF before recent local polls.
- He clashed with reporters once again, calling a TV journalist an extremist without offering substantiation.
- CPI(M) state secretary M. V. Govindan said the party will not accept anti-minority positions attributed to Natesan and noted that he holds no role in CPI(M) bodies.
- Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reiterated that giving Natesan a lift in his official car was proper, and CPI(M) leaders described the decision as a personal act.
- An editorial in SNDP Yogam’s Yoganaadam condemned the backlash as reflecting entrenched caste bias and rebuked the CPI for sidelining backward communities.