Thiruvananthapuram, June 18 (BPNS)
Kannur is the red fort of the CPM in Kerala and even in India. The party has the maximum number of members, sympathizers, and followers in this district. This is also the home district of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, LDF convenor and senior CPM leader, E.P. Jayarajan, and a horde of other leaders. The Kannur lobby is considered the most powerful fraction in the state CPM which does not have any opposition within the party.
However party is in red face in its most powerful district after an honest leader, Payyannur area secretary of the party, C.V. Kunhikrishnan was removed from the post. This was following a detailed complaint that he had given to the party district committee over allegations of misappropriation of funds that was collected for the construction of the party building, misappropriation of election funds as also swindling of funds collected for party martyr Dhanraj.
The allegation was pointed against CPM Kannur district secretariat member, T.I Madhusoodanan who is also presently the Payyannur MLA of the party. It may be noted that Payyanur is one of the strongest CPM constituencies and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan got elected from the seat in 1996 and went on to become the state minister for electricity in E.K. Nayanar cabinet.
The allegations had rocked the Payyannur area committee of the party with a large section of the area committee members supporting Kunhikrishnan who is considered an upright party leader. While CPM did not bring out an official communication on the actions taken against the party leaders, Kunhikrishnan openly said that he was bringing to an end to his public life and resigned from the director board membership of Vellore cooperative bank.
The CPM Payyannur area committee has 21 members and 16 of these members came out in support of Kunhirishnan during the discussion on fund misappropriation while 5 members reserved their comments. After Kunhirishnan was removed from the post and former MLA , T.V. Rajesh was given the charge., social media and CPM handles are erupting with support for Kunhikrishnan.
The party local workers and cadres are pointing out how Kunhikrihsnan who had brought out the fund misappropriation allegations against the MLA and other leaders could be subjected to party action and support is coming in large numbers to him.
CPM Kannur district secretary, M.V. Jayarajan however did not communicate to the media about the action taken against the CPM leaders including T.I. Madhusoodanan.
In the red fort of Kannur, the CPM is in embarrassing state with the party leaders not in a position to explain how 42 lakh rupees collected as funds for the family of Dhanraj, a party cadre who was killed by political opponents, was misappropriated. Sources in Kannur CPM told IANS that the party has already commenced patch-up talks with Kunhikrishnan but he has categorically stated that he would not have any parleys with the CPM again.
With the CPM in a spot in its strong district, it has to be seen how the CPM would come out of the imbroglio in Kannur.
