CPM Kerala Secretary MV Govindan on Wednesday categorically stated that his party has never formed any political alliance with the RSS at any point in time.
Speaking to media persons here, Govindan clarified that the CPM has never entered into a political alliance with the RSS at any point in history. He said his recent comments to a television channel—where he mentioned CPI(M)’s role in the Janata Party during the Emergency, a coalition that also included the Jana Sangh (the precursor to the BJP)—have been distorted.
In a recent television interview, Govindan had reportedly said that the CPI(M) had collaborated with the RSS out of necessity and saw no controversy in it. He made the comment while discussing the Emergency period and the political landscape of that time.
Govindan maintained that his remark about the RSS during the Emergency has been misrepresented. He accused the Congress-led UDF and certain sections of the media of twisting his statements about the political climate during the Emergency. He clarified that he was referring to a unique political situation in which the entire country united in opposition to the Indira Gandhi government.
He further explained that the Janata Party was not a continuation of the Jan Sangh but rather a coalition of diverse parties, ideologies, and social segments.
“UDF leaders are spreading false propaganda, claiming that CPI(M) joined hands with communal forces. History should be studied in its proper context. CPI(M) has never worked with the RSS as part of a political front. In fact, the RSS worked with the UDF. We are the ones who openly said we do not want RSS votes,” Govindan asserted.
He reiterated that what he meant was that during the people’s movement against the Emergency, many political groups came together as part of a broader struggle, and that his remark had been deliberately misinterpreted.
Govindan firmly reiterated: “The CPI(M) has never had a political alliance with the RSS—not in the past, not now, and not in the future.”
He also reminded that it was the Congress that had previously collaborated with the RSS during the Vimochana Samaram (Liberation Struggle). “EMS \[Namboodiripad] had clearly stated that we do not want RSS votes,” he said.
Govindan’s statements, interpreted by some as a hint at past CPI(M)-RSS collaboration, have drawn criticism from the UDF ahead of the Nilambur bypoll.
The Congress has alleged that Govindan’s remark was a calculated move by the Left to attract RSS votes. “Why did the CPI(M) suddenly remember their past friendship with the RSS on the eve of the Nilambur bypoll,” asked senior Congress leader and Opposition Leader VD Satheesan.
Meanwhile, former BJP state president K Raman Pillai backed Govindan’s statement, confirming that the RSS did support the CPM during the Emergency. Raman Pillai said, “The CPI(M) accepted the RSS’s decision to support them during that time.”