ED case casts shadow over CPI-M’s three-day Kerala poll review

The CPI-M’s extended Kerala State Committee will begin a three-day meeting in Kozhikode on Sunday to examine the party’s electoral defeat, even as an Enforcement Directorate move involving former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter adds to the political pressure on its leadership.

The meeting is expected to assess the reasons for the party’s poor performance, organisational shortcomings and the corrective measures needed. It also comes amid questions over the influence of Vijayan, who is now the Leader of the Opposition.

The Enforcement Directorate has sought the registration of an FIR in connection with an alleged monthly payment case involving a now-defunct information technology company owned by Vijayan’s daughter, Veena Vijayan.

Addressing the media on Saturday for the first time since the development emerged, Vijayan insisted that the ED action was unrelated to the party meeting.

“What are you asking? It has got nothing to do with our meeting,” he said when asked whether the issue would be discussed during the deliberations.

Despite his assertion, the controversy is expected to influence the political atmosphere surrounding the review. The party leadership could use the agency’s move to rally behind Vijayan and portray him as the target of politically motivated action by the Centre.

Senior leaders are reportedly keen to prevent the poll review from becoming an open examination of Vijayan’s leadership. Although electoral failures and organisational weaknesses are likely to be discussed, personal criticism of the former chief minister is not expected to be encouraged.

Around 90 per cent of the delegates are believed to support Vijayan, making an immediate challenge to his position unlikely. The interventions of senior leaders P. Jayarajan, A.N. Shamseer and Thomas Isaac will nevertheless be closely watched.

The three leaders could raise questions about the party’s functioning and electoral setback, but they are not expected to launch a direct attack on Vijayan.

The leadership is also likely to discourage an extensive debate on the alleged monthly payment controversy, maintaining that Vijayan and legislator P.A. Mohammed Riyas, Veena’s husband, have already provided their explanations.

The Communist Party of India, the second-largest constituent of the Left Democratic Front, has taken a cautious stand on the ED development.

CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said he was not familiar with all the details of the case concerning Vijayan but maintained that the Left would politically oppose any misuse of central investigating agencies.

The CPI-M’s immediate challenge will be to conduct a substantive review of its electoral performance without allowing the deliberations to widen into a debate over its leadership. The ED controversy could either strengthen support for Vijayan within the party or add another contentious dimension to an already difficult assessment.

With PTI inputs