CPI(M) accuses UDF government of ceding executive power to Lok Bhavan

On August 18, 2026, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) Kerala State secretariat accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government of ceding executive power to Lok Bhavan. CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan stated it was shocking that the UDF had not protested Governor Rajendra Arlekar's summoning of the State Police Chief without the elected government's consent.

He contrasted this with the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, which had objected in writing to Lok Bhavan's attempts to encroach on the Governor's constitutional powers, which were tightly bound to the Council of Ministers' counsel. Govindan highlighted that the previous Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had prevented department heads from answering Lok Bhavan's summons without the political executive's approval.

The CPI(M) noted with concern the Congress national leadership's shift towards majoritarianism and a soft Hindutva, as evidenced by the Congress's decision to render Vande Mataram in full at its national headquarters. This, Govindan argued, mirrored the deification of Hindu gods in the party's history and sought to impose a Hindu-centric narrative in Kerala's education sector.

He also pointed out the UDF government's acquiescence to Lok Bhavan's appointment of temporary Vice-Chancellors to state universities, as well as its failure to condemn the arrest and imprisonment of students for staging protests, under charges fabricated by the pro-RSS Chancellor. Govindan emphasized that the UDF government was collaborating with the pro-RSS Chancellor to stifle dissent and inject a Hindutva narrative into Kerala's progressive and secular higher education system.