Thrissur: A leaked audio clip of DYFI district secretary Sharath Prasad has triggered a major controversy in the CPM camp, with serious allegations of financial irregularities raised against senior district and state leaders.

In the purported conversation with DYFI district committee member Nibin Sreenivasan, Sharath is heard alleging that former state committee member MK Kannan, once a groundnut trader, became a millionaire, and that current state committee member AC Moideen has high-level dealings with corporate players. He also remarks that politics is an easy route for leaders to amass wealth.

The names of Wadakkanchery MLA Xavier Chittilappilly and Puthukkad MLA KK Ramachandran are also mentioned in the conversation, further intensifying the row.

Although the conversation dates back five months, its emergence has embarrassed the CPM leadership. Reacting to the development, district secretary KV Abdul Khader dismissed the allegations as baseless and said he would seek an explanation from Sharath. However, he admitted that the conversation was 'inappropriate.'

Meanwhile, Nibin Sreenivasan—who had earlier raised allegations about irregularities in local cooperative institutions—has been expelled from the Nadathara West Local Committee and is set to be removed from the DYFI as well. The party cited his public remarks, which put the organisation on the defensive, as a breach of discipline.

The BJP has seized the opportunity, with district president Justin Jacob demanding a probe into the charges and alleging that the Nattika cooperative sector was riddled with massive corruption.

The controversy over Sharath’s audio clip and the alleged financial dealings of CPM leaders has left the party struggling to contain the damage, even as senior leaders remain tight-lipped on the broader accusations.