Kannur, Feb 6 (NationPress) Just three days post the unveiling of the book by ousted CPI-M leader V. Kunjikrishnan, tensions with the party have escalated on Friday, resulting in a heated exchange between Kannur district party secretary K.K. Ragesh and Kunjikrishnan, who have been trading accusations.

In his rebuttal to Ragesh's comments, Kunjikrishnan asserted that the allegations made by the Kannur district party secretary were completely disconnected from reality.

Ragesh claimed that the book launch morphed into a congregation of anti-CPI(M) forces, stating that even members of the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) were in attendance, alongside numerous participants.

At the book launch, a staggering 2,500 copies were sold within just an hour.

Countering these claims, Kunjikrishnan questioned how CPI-M members in Payyannur could genuinely label those who attended the event as “anti-party”.

He emphasized that the gathering included CPI-M supporters, relatives of party members, and sympathizers, clarifying that it was not an official party event but rather a public gathering.

“Anyone is welcome at a public program,” he remarked.

Kunjikrishnan expressed strong disapproval at being branded as “anti-CPI-M”, questioning when and why such a label was ascribed to him.

He stated that he had been voicing concerns within the party for the past four years, engaging in a persistent internal struggle.

“Only after those efforts failed did I decide to engage with the public,” he claimed, accusing the CPI-M leadership of attempting to reduce the discourse to mere personal grievances.

Previously, during a press briefing, Ragesh dismissed claims of misappropriating the martyrs' fund as a figment of imagination.

He charged that the book's contents stemmed from personal vendetta against CPI-M leader and Payyannur MLA T.I. Madhusoodanan, criticizing Kunjikrishnan for allowing his grudge to impair his judgment.

Ragesh asserted that the CPI-M would not display its accounts in front of television cameras but would transparently present them at family meetings.

“We will show the accounts to the people, not to the media,” he stated.

The intensifying exchange has rekindled interest in the internal discord within the CPI-M in its Kannur base, with the controversy poised to extend beyond organizational confines and heighten public scrutiny of the party's internal operations.

While the CPI-M leadership has attempted to maintain a strong front, social media has been buzzing with activity relating to the controversy.