No need for change at party’s helm, CPM has recovered from bigger setbacks before, says T P Ramakrishnan

Kozhikode: Amid reports of sharp criticism against the CPM brass in several district secretariat and district committee meetings, LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan said on Monday that there was no need for a change at party's helm and asserted that no such demand had emerged during the ongoing district-level review meetings convened to assess the front's electoral debacle.Ramakrishnan told reporters in Wayanad that if the party brass need to take any corrective measures, that will be done after taking into account public opinion as well as views emerging from within the organisation."Other than that, there is no such situation has arisen in the party now," he said.LDF's tally plunged from 98 seats to just 35 in the assembly elections and CPM bagged just 26 but Ramakrishnan said the party had faced worse setbacks in the past and later recovered strongly."CPM was reduced to around 17 seats in the 1977 elections. The party later bounced back and eventually reached 98 seats. It is true that we have suffered a major setback this time. We are currently examining the reasons and circumstances behind it. The review process has not been completed yet. Once it is over, corrective measures will be taken," he said.Ramakrishnan also dismissed media reports on the internal discussions held at district committee meetings, saying the versions appearing in newspapers and television channels did not reflect the actual deliberations.Commenting on the UDF govt's decision to introduce free bus travel for women in KSRTC buses from June 15, he welcomed the move but said the govt must ensure financial support to the transport corporation to offset the additional burden."The govt should ensure timely payment of salaries and pensions," he said.On the UDF govt's decision to increase the honorarium of ASHAs by Rs 3,000, Ramakrishnan termed it a welcome step, but said the govt should fulfil its election promise of raising the honorarium to Rs 21,000.