Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 28 (IANS): Former Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) legislator C.K.P. Padmanabhan on Saturday criticised the top leadership of the party for the current state of affairs, saying "gone are the days of the real Communists".

Padmanabhan, 74, was the legislator from Taliparambu in Kannur district during 2006-11. He was also the party's state committee member and also former state secretary of Karshaka Sangham (the farmers' movement of the CPI-M).

On Saturday, he said that gone are the days of the real Communist and pointed out how the legendary E.M.S. Nampoothiripad lived on a frugal income and when the state passed through difficult financial times, he opted to ride an Ambassador car, did away with the escort car and even cut his daily food intake to the bare minimum.

He said the current state of affairs of the party is on account of the doings of the top leaders, adding he had once also raised a complaint against then Kannur district CPI-M secretary P. Sasi (the current political secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan).

Padmanabhan said his health declined on account of the tremendous pressure exerted on him by the party during the times when he was ousted from all elected posts in the party.

"I do not know how long I will live and hence I decided I need to speak out... people should know everything," he said.

He was a known loyalist of veteran V.S. Achuthanandan, who in the early 2000s had a long running feud with the then state party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan - who is now the Chief Minister.

Padmanabhan was removed from all elected posts of the party in 2012.

The reasons cited then for his removal are for not maintaining the accounts of the organisation properly and 'misappropriating funds' while serving as the state secretary of the Karshaka Sangham -- a charge which he continues to vehemently deny, and says that he was targeted for siding with Achuthanandan.