Cracks surface in Kerala CPM
Pinarayi Vijayan was referring to reports that EP met BJP leader Prakash Javadekar clandestinely to join his party
Fissures manifested in the CPI-M in Kerala on Friday with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan publicly admonishing Left Democratic Party convener EP Jayarajan, a senior leader from the same district as the CM, for the “company he keeps.”
Pinarayi was referring to reports EP met senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar clandestinely to join his party. While the CPI-M was in denial mode till Thursday, the CM’s open admission gave credence to BJP leader Sobha Surendran’s charge that EP had almost finalised joining the saffron party, but backed out due to threats from goondas of the CPI-M.
After casting his vote, Pinarayi said there is an old saying in Malayalam: if (Lord) Shiv keeps company of a sinner, he too becomes a sinner. But the Congress hit back saying the real Shiv would have reduced the sinner to ashes. “What we are seeing is a duplicate Shiva.”
The EP development cast a long shadow over the CPI-M on the day of the election and the unease over election results was apparent when Pinarayi lost his cool and shouted at journalists when asked if this election was also a referendum on his government’s performance.
But his party colleagues contradicted the CM, exposing more fissures in the top ranks. CPI-M state general secretary MV Govindan said if it is a referendum, so be it.
Senior leader and former state finance minister Thomas Issac, who has often been at odds with the Pinarayi, said this election is also a referendum on the state government’s performance. He is a candidate from the
Pathanamthitta constituency where he is taking on BJP’s Anil Antony, son of senior Congress leader AK Antony.
Meanwhile, the Congress added a new dimension to the EP episode. Congress leaders KC Venugopal, VD Satheshan and Ramesh Chennithala said Jayarajan met Javedekar not to join BJP but a Pinarayi’s ‘agent’. He met the BJP leader to plead that post elections, the investigation agencies should not hound the CM on cases including Lavlin, gold smuggling and his daughter’s involvement in a monthly pay-off scam.
When Javedkar refused, EP backed out. The Congress said Pinarayi has ditched and betrayed EP.