Thiruvananthapuram: CPM veteran and Left Democratic Front convener E P Jayarajan has seen better days. Of late he has felt apparently sidelined in the party and is “very much upset” with the response of the leadership to the recent controversy over a Kannur-based resort project in which his family members have stake.
In an emotionally charged speech at the CPM State Committee meeting here the other day he warned of hard decisions, including ending his political career, if driven to the wall by defaming him by alleging financial irregularities linked to the project. Later, he also took to Facebook and warned legal action against those media creating “fake news to defame him”.
Jayarajan is unhappy especially over his party's reluctance to defend him after his senior leader P Jayarajan raised the resort issue recently.
EP's defence
E P, as he is known, replied to the allegations against him in the CPM State Committee on the direction of the party State Secretariat. He became emotional while trying to defend the charges over his role in constructing an “illegal” Ayurvedic resort at Anthoor in Kannur. He lashed out that there is a clear bid to denigrate him by levelling such charges.
E P rued that the party didn’t make effective interventions when the controversy surfaced. He demanded the party to probe attempts aimed at ending his political career.
E P further said he didn’t possess any illegal wealth and the party can conduct any probe in this regard. An emotional EP further claimed that the allegation is a bid to tarnish his image.
"There is a clear conspiracy behind the levelling of charges and prompt media reports, targeting only me. It is unfortunate that such a serious personal allegation was raised against me, that too in my absence, in the State Committee meeting (in December) at a time I was on leave for treatment purposes," EP charged.
Earlier, during the State Committee meeting in December, P Jayarajan had targeted his namesake by raising serious allegations with regard to the mobilisation and utilisation of the funds for the resort project, in which latter's wife Indira and son Jaison have stakes.
As E P didn’t attend that meeting, the State Secretariat had advised him to give a reply to the charges in the State Committee meeting itself. P Jayarajan, who was present on the occasion the other day, didn’t attempt to challenge EP during his speech.
State Committee's stand
The State Committee left it to the State Secretariat to take a decision on the allegations and counter-allegations between two prominent leaders from the party stronghold Kannur.
The Secretariat will take a decision on the matter only after consulting with the Politburo. It is expected that the Politburo will examine the stances adopted by both ‘Jayarajans’ and also the opinion of the Secretariat before directing it to take further action in Kerala itself.
The stance to be adopted by the State Secretariat is crucial for E P, especially for his future political course.
