Kerala CPI secretary Binoy Viswam on Sunday called for cleansing the Left movement of people involved in criminal activities and beneficiaries of dirty money, and instead work for the people who have traditionally supported the movement.

Though Viswam didn't name the party, it was clear that he meant the CPM, which is caught in a turmoil in Kannur over allegations that its youth leaders have links with gold smugglers and hit squads.

“The beneficiaries of dirty money and (those who) support the underworld are those who are cheating the Left movement. It is high time that they are told they will not be forgiven,” Viswam said in a statement shared on Facebook on Sunday.

The CPM's Kannur unit is embroiled in a controversy after one of its leaders who recently left the party accused youth leaders of having an unholy nexus with gold smugglers and hit squads.

"The news emerging from Kannur is very painful for the partners of the communist movement. It is the land of Kayyur, Karivellur and Thillankeri (all communist struggles for peoples’ rights),” Viswam noted.

“The stories about looting gold smugglers, and underworld activities are an insult to the red flag. The Left family simply cannot tolerate the fact that those who don the garb of its protectors on social media are in fact the managers of the underworld,” Viswam stated.

“The role of these people in the setbacks faced by the organisation is not small,” he noted, apparently alluding to the electoral defeat when the Left Democratic Front couldn’t do better than the lone seat it won in 2019.

“It is they who prompt the people in wondering whether the Left has drifted away from its declared objectives. The Left movement can regain the confidence of the people and proceed only by distancing itself from these people,” Viswam urged.

“The communist movement is duty-bound to give justice to the lakhs of people who have expressed faith in it. It is their loyalty and faith that are more important for the communists,” he said.

Viswam concluded by stating: “The CPI will always respect the people’s sentiments and beliefs.”

He had earlier told reporters that the red flag doesn’t belong to criminal gangs as it signifies the colour of the blood of those who built the movement.

"Gold-smuggling rackets and hit squads are not the path of the red flag. This is a party that was built with the blood of lots of common people. The red flag signifies the colour of their blood," he said.