CPM district leader's revelations expose deep fissures in Kannur ahead of Kerala polls

KOZHIKODE: The revelations and allegations raised by CPM district secretariat member TK Govindan, along with his announcement that he would contest as an independent candidate against CPM state secretary M V Govindan's wife P K Shyamala in Taliparamba, could mark one of the most dramatic breaches of the party's iron-clad discipline in its Kannur fortress in decades. The development has laid bare deep fissures and simmering discontent in the party stronghold ahead of the assembly polls in April.The rare public airing of charges by CPM's senior-most district secretariat member amounted to a political bombshell as he revealed sensitive information the party had hidden. Among the matters he raised were how the allegations, which had surfaced against Shyamala in connection with the suicide of expat businessman Sajan when she was chairperson of Anthoor municipality, were handled and the lack of auditing of party funds collected and spent for ‘happiness festival' under the leadership of the CPM state secretary in his constituency.Sajan Parayil, a Nigeria-returned businessman, committed suicide in June 2019 reportedly after being denied clearance for an auditorium he built in Anthoor municipality, spending crores. Shyamala was the municipality chairperson then.T K Govindan's rebellion comes weeks after another senior CPM leader, V Kunhikrishnan, levelled allegations of misappropriation of party funds, including Dhanraj martyr fund, against Payyannur MLA T I Madhusoodanan. The back-to-back accusations point to deeper internal tension within Kannur CPM, particularly involving senior leaders.In what was until recently unthinkable in a party fortress, T K Govindan dared to reveal details of internal CPM discussions, saying many leaders, including P Jayarajan, had strongly opposed Shyamala's candidature. He said all organizational principles in candidate selection were scuttled and criticisms raised in the district committee were not conveyed to the state secretariat. Only Shyamala's name was forwarded. "At the mandalam committee meeting, all leaders, except two or three, opposed her candidature," said T K Govindan, adding that the criticisms were made in the presence of her husband. He said P Jayarajan was sidelined after publicly stating that action would be taken against those responsible for Sajan's death — a remark made amid widespread public anger over the incident.More than the immediate electoral implications in CPM strongholds, the leadership appears concerned that T K Govindan's revelations, coming soon after Kunhikrishnan's allegations, could trigger wider dissent within the party and demoralise cadres in state. The leadership may also find it difficult to dismiss the charges as personal frustration given T K Govindan's stature. The 75-year-old veteran, with nearly six decades of experience, had served as area secretary for over 25 years, including when Pinarayi Vijayan was district secretary.His direct attack on the CPM state secretary, accusing the leadership of nepotism for fielding Shyamala to succeed her husband after his three terms as MLA, is unprecedented in CPM's history. He also raised questions about financial transparency in the conduct of the happiness festival, alleging public speculation linked Shyamala's candidature to attempts to prevent scrutiny of the event's finances.