Kozhikode: Soon after the Lok Sabha election is over, the feud between the CPI and LDF's Ponnani candidate P V Anvar is out in the open. The sitting MLA of Nilambur was already on a rough path with the second largest party of the front ever since he contested from Eranad Assembly constituency as an independent with the support of the CPM in 2011.
On Wednesday, CPI Malappuram district council forwarded its complaint against Anvar to the state leadership. The leaders have complained that lack of unity in the front throughout the electioneering did huge damage to them and helped the opposition UDF. They also alleged that the continuous open criticism against the party by Anvar created confusion among the followers. The AIYF (youth wing of the CPI) workers burned Anvar in effigy in Malappuram on Wednesday.
Anvar had alleged that the CPI was similar to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and it had always harassed him. It is to be noted that the party was at the forefront against the MLA's controversial water theme park at Kakkadampoyil in Kozhikode district. However, when the CPM stood strongly behind Anvar, the CPI subsided its protest and gave a clean chit to him later.
After the election, Anvar sounded confident of winning and declared that he would resign from the post of MLA. However, within days, he backtracked on his statement, when the internal committees reviewed that Anvar was likely to finish second behind his UDF opponent – IUML's E T Mohammed Basheer.
Anvar also alleged that CPI leader and LDF's Wayanad candidate P P Suneer was getting close to the IUML. Irked by his allegations, the AIYF workers burned him in effigy.
AIYF state joint secretary advocate P Gavas came down heavily on Anvar on his Facebook page, stating that the latter damaged the Left.
“This rich man is flouting all rules and challenging the people. The CPI never gave heed to his (land) encroachments, which makes us a foe to him. We backed him as a support to the CPM and as a fight for a common cause when the country faces the threat of the fascists. But, after the election, Anvar turns out to be a mere businessman and individual, but the CPI never changes,” he wrote.
Anvar's family has Congress background and in his initial political days he also followed the same ideology. He was the college union chairman, representing Kerala Students Union (student wing of Congress), at MES College, Mampad.
However, after becoming a full-fledged businessman, Anvar sought the help of the CPM, but the CPI was against his business interests. This tiff intensified with the water theme park issue, which was later sorted out.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha Election, he contested as an independent against CPI's Sathyan Mokeri in Wayanad and got 37,123 votes. UDF's M I Shanavas won with a majority of 20,870 votes. Anvar's votes were crucial and this ruptured the wounds again.
The LDF had eyed to split Congress and IUML votes in Malappuram, that would help Anvar, being an ex-Congress leader. However, the continuous mudslinging has only weakened the CPM-CPI ties in the district.
