Differences between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Communist Party of India (CPI) within the Left Democratic Front (LDF) over the demand for the post of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly widened, with CPI State assistant secretary P.P. Suneer on Sunday (July 5, 2026) asserting that the issue was “not a closed chapter.”The Rajya Sabha MP was responding to reporters’ questions about Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan’s recent remark that the CPI’s demand for the post was a thing of the past.The CPI, the second-largest constituent of the LDF, has been demanding the post following the front’s defeat in the recent Assembly elections. “It is not a closed chapter. The CPI’s stand is that the issue should be discussed within the LDF. The matter cannot be closed unilaterally,” Mr. Suneer said.Mr. Vijayan had earlier said that there was no tradition of having a Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the LDF.Responding to that, Mr. Suneer said even the Constitution of the country could be amended, and therefore traditions could not be cited as an obstacle.He also said the CPI had taken a firm stand against the adoption of the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme when the LDF was in power. “The main problem is that whenever the CPI raised issues relating to various subjects within the LDF, they were neither taken seriously nor discussed. We believe this was one of the reasons for the defeat in the election. We want that to change, and that is why we are demanding the post of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition,” he said.Mr. Suneer said the CPI would not withdraw its demand and reiterated that the matter should be discussed within the LDF. “We expect such a discussion to take place,” he said.Earlier, senior CPI leaders Binoy Viswam and K. Rajan had also publicly raised the demand.Apart from Mr. Vijayan, no senior CPI(M) leader has publicly commented on the issue so far.The CPI is also unhappy that no LDF meeting has been convened after the alliance’s defeat in the recently held Assembly elections. Published - July 05, 2026 08:46 pm IST