Credibility in the red for Kerala CPI(M)

The CPI(M) in Kerala is facing a major credibility crisis with the arrest of party’s Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan in the murder case of IUML worker Abdul Shukoor. It is gaining the reputation of a party that indulges in ‘murderous politics’. To make matters worse, the party resorted to violence and damaged public property in Kannur district to mark their protests against Jayarajan’s arrest. It seems that CPI(M) in Kerala is in no mood to learn from the past mistakes. They believe that they are law unto themselves.

The shocking reality that continues to haunt the Keralites is the manner in which Shukoor’s was murdered. The provocation for the murder was an attack on  Jayarajan and T V Rajesh, MLA  by Muslim League workers  during their visit to Ariyil.

Normally, such incidents would  have died down without causing much harm. But here, the CPI(M) workers allegedly took Shukoor into custody and  got his involvement in the attack confirmed by sending his picture allegedly to the mobile  phones of  Jayarajan and Rajesh.  Apparently, after getting the nod from them, the miscreants slithered Shukoor’s  neck.  The murder came to news because it was viewed as “party court sentencing and executing the death penalty”.

After Jayarajan’s arrest, the manner in which they had unleashed violence in Kannur and other parts of the state has proved beyond doubt that they had planned in advance to attack the Congress and League offices, damage public property and bring public life to a complete standstill.

For the first time, a section of the cultural leaders came out to call the spade a spade. Without mincing words , writers like Anand, Zacharia, BRP Bhaskar, MGS Narayanan, C R Parameswaran to name a few in a joint statement said that a  democratic society cannot allow  violence challenging rule of law.

Jyarajan’s arrest is a direct blow to state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan as the former  is considered to be very close to him. Jayarajan is also under investigation in the RMP leader T P Chnadrasekharan murder case, which is currently being probed by the CBI.

Chandrasekharan’s murder had pushed the party into unprecedented crisis. About 60 people with links to the party, including some local leaders, have been arrested in connection with the case.

The CPI(M) is in the dock for three murders now: Chandrasekharan, Shukkoor and National Development Front worker Mohammed Fazal.

The arrest of Jayarajan also saw the meltdown of dissent by V S Achuthanandan, who was recently censured by the CPM national leadership for his dissident behaviour. The party completely supported with the state leadership and secretary Vijayan and asked Achuthanandan to mend his ways.

The arrest, violence and allegations demolishes the invincibility of the CPI(M) and its leadership in terms of its strong arm tactics.

-Sunday Standard