Kannur: CPM removed V Kunhikrishnan from the post of party's Payyannur area committee secretary after he had collected the bank account statement of MLA T I Madhusoodanan as part of his investigation into the alleged misappropriation of party funds.
Kunhikrishnan, reportedly, informed the CPM leadership that he had collected the bank account statement with the knowledge of a senior party functionary in the district to prove the gravity of the offence. The CPM, however, rejected his explanation and ousted him.
Incidentally, Kunhikrishnan was ousted from the party post despite opposition from 16 members of the 21-member area committee. Five members took a neutral stand. The meeting which decided to expel Kunhikrishnan witnessed strong opposition, with the majority of members viewing the move as the party viewing both the complainant and the defendant MLA and others through the same prism.
CPM State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Central Committee member E P Jayarajan, too, came under fire at the meeting. The meeting went on for 10 hours after some of the members pointed out that the party protecting the accused reflected the growth of a mafia within the organisation. The charge led to heated arguments in the meeting.
After the CPM decided to oust Kunhikrishnan, he announced his decision to quit politics. He later confirmed his decision to the media, and resigned from the post of director, Vellur Services Cooperative Bank. “I was removed from the post of the area committee secretary, and I have ended my public activism. That's all. This is in connection with certain issues in Payyannur. I have not complained against anyone. I brought certain issues to the notice of the party," said V Kunhikrishnan.
Following the allegation of misappropriation of party funds, MLA Madhusoodanan was demoted to the district committee from the district secretariat. Besides Madhusoodanan, CPM demoted area committee member T Vishwanathan to local committee, and censured another area committee member K K Gangadharan, office employee Karivellur Karunakaran and party member K P Madhu.
It has been alleged that Rs 80 lakh was misappropriated from a chit fund formed to raise money for the construction of an area committee office in Payyannur.
Questions over Dhanraj fund
The district leaders, who attended the area committee meeting, faced several questions with supportive evidence from the members. One of the questions was on the Rs 42 lakh collected to help party martyr Dhanraj's family. Where did the money go?
The district leadership did not have a clear answer to the question. Though it has been said that the money was utilised to construct the area committee office at Payyannur, it did not have any clear records.
The fund was raised to clear the Rs 15 lakh debt of Dhanraj's family. But the debt has not been cleared despite the huge response the collection drive had received.
V Kunhikrishnan, meanwhile, presented the misappropriation of finds in detail at the meeting. He also pointed at the irregularities in the election fund.
