Jayarajan vs Jayarajan tussle in Kerala CPI(M) turns ugly

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 26 (IANS) For the first time in the history of CPI(M)'s Kannur unit, considered the stronghold of the party and from where all its top leaders hail, the spat between two heavyweights -- E.P. Jayarajan, the present Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor, and P. Jayarajan, one of the most popular leaders, have now turned ugly.

The close aides of E.P. Jayarajan had accused P. Jayarajan of shielding a gold smuggling gang and failing to submit proper account statements of election expenses, when the latter was the CPI(M) candidate during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Vadakara Assembly constituency.

The controversy began last week when P. Jayarajan at the party meetings of the top brass in the CPI(M), alleged that E.P. Jayarajan and his family had "amassed huge wealth".

E.P. Jayarajan's son and wife are company directors, which own a Rs 30 crore Ayurveda resort in Kannur, that was opened in 2019.

The CPI(M) distanced itself from the spat between the two top CPI(M) leaders after an allegation was raised by the party's state committee member against a central committee member, forcing the national leadership of the party to look into the matter and at the politburo meeting to be held in Delhi on Monday, it remains to be seen if the issue would be taken up.

Incidentally, with E.P. Jayarajan coming under public scrutiny, his close aides have written several letters to the CPI(M) national leadership, saying that P. Jayarajan had close links with the powerful gold smuggling gang in Kannur.

The close aides of E.P. Jayarajan had also sent a complaint against P. Jayarajan alleging that the latter has not given a complete account statement of the party fund that was collected when he unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

After raising the complaint at the party meeting, P. Jayarajan was asked by CPI(M)'s state secretary M.V. Govindan to submit everything that he claimed against E.P. Jayarajan in writing.

P. Jayarajan is expected to submit it within a day or two.

According to sources, party insiders had sensed that things are not alright within the party, with E.P. Jayarajan suddenly going on leave for a month in October. Even after the leave period ended, it was extended again. He also did not take part in the three-day party meeting that concluded in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

Even after three days of this grave allegation surfacing, E.P. Jayarajan, during 2016-21, was the 'second most powerful' party leader in the Pinarayi Vijayan government, but is yet to come into public domain.

Of late, E.P. Jayarajan has been keeping a low profile after he felt he was sidelined, as he expected that he would either be made a politburo member of the party, and also had aimed for the CPI(M) state secretary position, after the incumbent Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had passed away.

When no developments according to his expectations happened, he began maintaining a low-profile, and took leave on health grounds, sources said.

Even with such a grave allegation surfacing from within the CPI(M), eyebrows have been raised that till now none from the Opposition, either the Congress or the BJP has taken up this issue. The most intriguing comment came from the Indian Union Muslim League (the second biggest ally in the Congress-led UDF) veteran leader P.K. Kunhalikutty who brushed aside the issue "as an internal matter of the CPI(M)" and they have nothing to say.

Incidentally, the State Congress President and Lok Sabha member from Kannur, K. Sudhakaran, whose enmity with E.P. Jayarajan, who is now three-decades-old, also has remained silent.

Meanwhile, speculation has surfaced that E.P. Jayarajan might step down as the LDF convenor on health grounds and now all are waiting to hear what Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has to say on this.