A week is a long time in politics, and the last few days in Kerala have proven that yet again. August 31 saw the dramatic removal of Kannur strongman E.P. Jayarajan from his exalted position as the convener of the Left Front. Although many saw that coming in light of the Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) performance in the Lok Sabha election - Jayarajan faced heavy criticism for it - the timing took everyone by surprise.
Sources within the party revealed that it couldn't wait any longer as the CPI(M) was beginning its triennial cycle of branch, local, area and district committee meetings in the run-up to the state conference in February, to be followed by the 'Party Congress' to follow in April. The party doesn't generally take disciplinary action against its leaders once the calendar is set in motion.
The Many Allegations Against Jayarajan
Seeing red, Jayarajan quickly proceeded to vacate the flat provided to state secretariat members of CPI(M) and left for his native Kannur the next day, without waiting to partake in the party state committee meeting scheduled for September 1. Mathrubhumi reported that the decision to oust Jayarajan was taken in the meeting of four Kerala Politburo members of the CPI(M) - Pinarayi Vijayan, M.A. Baby, A. Vijayaraghavan and M.V. Govindan - where the chief minister was overruled over by the others through a majority of 3-1.
Jayarajan had been cutting a sorry figure ever since he began acting up after the elevation in 2022 of Govindan, his junior, as the state secretary of the CPI(M). The sulking had gone to the extent of not fulfilling his duties as the Left convener. To make things worse, he was accused of amassing wealth by fellow Kannur strongman P. Jayarajan, pointing out that his wife and son owned shares of the Vaidekam resort in Kannur. He was further pushed on the back foot when it came to light that the Rajeev Chandrasekhar-backed 'Niramaya' had taken over the operations of the resort following the revelation.
The BJP Link
Things came to a head when prominent state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sobha Surendran accused him of parlaying with the Kerala BJP in-charge Prakash Javadekar. Jayarajan confirmed it on April 26, the day Kerala voted for the Lok Sabha election. It also did not help his case that he had talked up the chances of the BJP candidates in the Lok Sabha polls when the CPI(M) had made its non-compromising attitude with the party the prime poll focus. All this, coupled with Left ally Communist Party of India (CPI)'s discomfort with Jayarajan, had made his position untenable-although he was expected to keep his chair till at least the party's state conference in February.
It may be recalled here that E.P. Jayarajan's biggest calling card was his unflinching loyalty to Pinarayi Vijayan over the years. In a 2014 interview with Malayala Manorama, Jayarajan had recalled how he met Vijayan as a student leader in 1963 and how the duo had remained close since then. In fact, it was due to Vijayan's backing that Jayarajan escaped party censure on many past occasions.
A Malabar Rebellion
The exit of Jayarajan had barely registered when P.V. Anwar, a Left-backed independent legislator from Nilambur, launched another volley. He publicly leaked damaging phone transcripts between himself and the (former) Pathanamthitta Superintendent of Police (SP) Sujith Kumar, levelling a string of sensational allegations against the Chief Minister's Office and the home department, which is held by Vijayan himself.
Anwar suggested that Kerala's Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP)-in charge of law and order, M.R. Ajith Kumar, known to be Vijayan's close aide, was operating a crime syndicate. It supposedly involved gold smuggling and phone-tapping of state ministers, among other violations. Anwar accused Kumar of being involved in a murder case too. He further targeted Vijayan's powerful political secretary P. Sasi - who is an old Kannur hand with a controversial past and known to steer the state home department from behind the scenes - for the mess.
Anwar's Tactful Ways
Vijayan was left in a bind. At an official function in Kottayam - attended by Ajith Kumar - he hinted that he was willing to act against the officer, but, by that very evening, he did a volte-face. By then it must have dawned on him that if Ajith Kumar was sacked, it would only lead to the demand for the ouster of Sasi, and that would ultimately put the blame on himself. Ultimately, Vijayan did institute an inquiry against Ajith Kumar, but it seemed largely farcical given that the probe officers were Kumar's subordinates.
Anwar treaded tactfully. He met Vijayan soon after and personally handed over a list of his allegations, careful not to launch a frontal assault at the CM. But the fact that he found public support from another Left-backed independent legislator from Malappuram, K.T. Jaleel, a minister during Vijayan's first term, only piqued curiosity. Both Jaleel and Anwar have been mired in controversies in the past for corruption and nepotism. In fact, Jaleel was disqualified as minister following a Lokayukta verdict against him; Anwar has had multiple run-ins with the law over allegations of encroaching and squatting on public property, and the illegal construction of a check dam.
What is also interesting is that on social media, the CPI(M) rank-and-file has been backing Anwar and his allegations to the hilt, putting the party in a quandary. It is a fact that the home department has had a lot of flak in the past couple of years ever since P. Sasi took over. The lack of democratic functioning of the CPI(M) meant that the lower rungs in the department could hardly raise their voices against anything.
For Brutus Is An Honourable Man
It has now been a week since Anwar went to the press with his allegations. But there has been no let-up. If anything, he has only raised the stakes by playing up his claims, capturing Kerala's airtime like none other in recent times. For some, Anwar is a hero. For others, he is a useful instrument. The only commonality is that for most people, his past indiscretions seem easily forgettable now.
Anwar has also been careful not to take on the CM directly. In fact, he keeps reiterating his faith that Vijayan will turn things around, just like Marc Antony kept referring to Brutus as an honourable man. But the real intent isn't lost on anyone. When SP Sujith Kumar was finally suspended in a couple of days, Anwar celebrated it on social media, saying that this was the "first wicket to fall". So, is M.R. Ajith Kumar the 'second wicket', to be followed by Sasi - and then Vijayan?
Can Vijayan Survive This Coup?
As of now, nobody seems to know what Anwar's exact plan of action is. Some, like former CPI(M) Malappuram district secretary P.P Vasudevan, have called him a 'trojan horse'. It is also more than probable that a faction within the CPI(M) is backing Anwar. Anwar is purportedly close to P. Jayarajan, but he is equally close to the CPI(M) Kozhikode district secretary, P. Mohanan. It is also being assumed that he has M.V. Govindan's backing.
Anwar's charges have already caused enough damage to Vijayan. The CPI(M) branch meetings underway have been witnessing heavy criticism of P. Sasi and the chief minister himself, virtually unheard of in the recent past. Is Vijayan's grip on the party apparatus loosening? Or is this a palace coup in motion? Whatever it is, only time will tell whether Vijayan can survive the ides of March come April, when the CPI(M) Party Congress will be held.
(Anand Kochukudy is a senior journalist and columnist)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author