Martyr's fund row: Details to be shared with party workers, not media, says CPM Kannur secretary
According to him, given that the fund was collected from party members and cooperative employees, not from the general public, disclosure of its particulars would be made at a meeting attended by those associated with the party, not to the media.
According to him, given that the fund was collected from party members and cooperative employees, not from the general public, disclosure of its particulars would be made at a meeting attended by those associated with the party, not to the media.
According to him, given that the fund was collected from party members and cooperative employees, not from the general public, disclosure of its particulars would be made at a meeting attended by those associated with the party, not to the media.
CPM's Kannur District Secretary K K Ragesh on Friday said that the transactions of the Dhanraj martyr's fund will not be disclosed to the media, but in a meeting convened with party workers and supporters.
According to him, given that the fund was collected from party members and cooperative employees, not from the general public, disclosure of its particulars would be made at a meeting attended by those associated with the party, not to the media.
The move comes after CPM State Secretary M V Govindhan announced on Monday that the party would place before the public the details of the amount collected for the Dhanraj martyr's fund on February 6. The fund issue resurfaced when V Kunhikrishnan, a party veteran of nearly five decades and CPM district committee member, accused Payyannur MLA TI Madhusoodanan of misappropriating the fund. As a result, Kunhikrishnan was expelled from the party.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Ragesh accused media houses of operating with certain organisational motives rather than in the public interest and asserted that information about the fund would not be disclosed as a result. "The party's State Secretary also directed me the same," he said.
Ragesh said that the accounts, which were audited following the initial allegations raised by Kunhikrishnan, were approved at the area committee meeting held on June 24, 2022. He stated that the party's internal investigations exposed certain shortcomings, and appropriate actions have been taken against those involved. He noted delays in approving income and expenditure but clarified that no Rupee was lost from the fund.
Ragesh also pointed out that after these incidents came to light, the party acted by suspending the concerned Office Secretary, and demoting the Area committee members and the District Secretary. He also alleged that Kunhikrishnan's dissatisfaction stems from his personal need to punish Madhusoodanan, but claimed that the party was interested in rectifying its mistakes rather than targeting individuals.
He stated that the party fund was collected for three purposes, which had already been communicated to the party workers. These included providing financial support to the martyr's family, the construction of their house and facilitating the legal proceedings of his murder.
He added that after the first two were taken care of, the remaining amount was transferred to the area committee, which may have temporarily used it for the office construction. But he clarified that the funds were not diverted.
"When the party inspected whether funds were misused, not even one Rupee was lost, but we are of the opinion that the fund must be kept in the specified account allotted for it, rather than with the area committee," he said.
Kunhikrishnan had launched his self-published book 'Nethruthwathe Anikal Thiruthanam' (The Rank Should Correct the Leadership), at Gandhi Park at Payyannur town on Wednesday. The event drew a crowd of about 2000 people, and the books sold out in a matter of hours.