Thiruvananthapuram, July 2

A candid social media post by Dr. Haris Chirackal, Head of the Department of Urology at Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thiruvananthapuram, has snowballed into a major political controversy in Kerala, exposing deep fault lines within the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).

In his post, Dr. Haris admitted that he had to cancel several emergency endo-urology procedures due to the non-availability of critical medical equipment.

His statement, though seen as honest and factual by many in the medical community, was perceived by several CPI-M leaders as a veiled attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his close aides.

Dr. Haris, a respected figure in medical circles with an impeccable reputation, was soon at the center of a political firestorm.

According to sources within the CPI-M, a faction of senior leaders and ministers—those disillusioned with the growing influence of the Chief Minister’s son-in-law, Mohammed Riyas, who also holds the portfolios of Tourism and Public Works—may have tacitly supported Dr. Haris’s revelations.

What lends more intrigue to the episode is Dr. Haris’s personal connection to Karamana Hari, a powerful grassroots-level CPI-M leader in Thiruvananthapuram. Hari, who has reportedly been sidelined in recent years, is said to wield considerable influence within the lower rungs of the party and maintains strong organisational links. Insiders suggest that the recent post by Dr. Haris may have been strategically timed to corner Mohammed Riyas and, by extension, Health Minister Veena George—both considered close confidants of the Chief Minister.

Initially, Veena George attempted to defend the health department and her own role, pushing back against the doctor’s claims. However, facing mounting public sympathy for Dr. Haris and criticism from within the system, she later changed her stance. In a notable turnaround, the minister praised Dr. Haris as “an honest and upright professional” whose remarks were “not politically motivated but driven by a sense of duty to society.”

However, the situation escalated when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself intervened. In a strongly worded statement, he said Dr. Haris’s comments had unfairly tarnished the state’s healthcare system—widely lauded for its achievements globally. The CM’s remarks were followed by sharp criticism from CPI-M State Secretary M.V. Govindan and even G.R. Anil, a minister from the CPI (a CPI-M ally in the ruling Left Democratic Front), who also lashed out at the doctor’s public comments.

Dr. Haris’s post, widely shared and supported across social media platforms, is seen by many as an act of whistleblowing—drawing attention to chronic supply issues in the public health sector, which frontline doctors are often forced to silently endure.

With factions within the CPI-M sharpening their knives in anticipation of a post-Pinarayi leadership vacuum, observers believe this controversy could be more than just a dispute over hospital equipment. It may well be the opening salvo in a broader power struggle within the CPI-M over succession and internal leadership dynamics.

How the CPI-M manages this internal churn, and whether Dr. Haris faces further backlash or support, remains to be seen in the coming days.