Kalpetta: In a bid to quell the ongoing rebellion within the CPM Wayanad district unit, the party has demoted four leaders — including Karshaka Sangham district president AV Jayan — from the area committee to the branch committee. The other leaders demoted are Poothadi CPM Local Committee secretary PK Mohanan, Kenichira Local Committee secretary Jishnu Paul, and AK Prasad, district secretary of the Adivasi Kshema Samithy.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the Pulppalli area committee held on Tuesday, in the presence of CPM state secretariat member MV Jayarajan and district secretary K Rafeeq.

Earlier, the four leaders had already been demoted from the area committee to the local committee following internal allegations raised against them in party forums.

Interestingly, the latest demotion was not due to the previously alleged financial irregularities, but rather for publicly criticising the party. On July 3, AV Jayan walked out of an area committee meeting in protest against the disciplinary action. The other three leaders, along with several party cadres, also walked out in solidarity.

In a conciliatory move, however, the party has allowed Jayan to continue as the district president of Karshaka Sangham, the farmers' wing of the CPM. He will also retain his roles in other organisations of the party.

The internal strife within the district unit has been intensifying since the defeat of former district secretary K Gagarin by K Rafeeq — a younger and more dynamic leader — at the party district conference held in December last year. The faction aligned with Gagarin believes there has been a concerted effort to sideline leaders close to him across the district since the leadership change.

Moreover, the decision to remove a senior leader like Jayan from the area committee has drawn widespread criticism within party ranks. While earlier reports suggested financial misconduct, a party inquiry reportedly found no evidence of fraud. The issue involved ₹75,000, which was temporarily diverted from a party fund meant for a youngster’s medical treatment to purchase land for a party branch unit. The amount was later redeposited into the same account. The incident, which took place in 2019, was repeatedly brought up in party forums ahead of the recent area committee meeting — seen by some as an attempt to block Jayan’s return as CPM area secretary, according to party sources.