Posters in Payyannur keep heat on CPM over Dhanraj fund allegations

Kannur: At a time when the Congress leadership is being urged to respect public sentiment, a fresh round of posters in Payyannur has turned the spotlight on the CPM, demanding that its leadership do the same.

The posters, which appeared across Payyannur municipality on Wednesday, make it clear that cadres in Kannur are in no mood to let the party leadership off the hook over allegations that funds raised in the name of slain party worker C V Dhanaraj were embezzled.

The posters call on the party leadership to expel those allegedly involved in misappropriating the martyrs’ fund and to make the accounts public.

The printed posters read:
“Respect the people’s sentiment.
 Expel those who misappropriated the martyrs’ fund from the party.
Make the accounts public.”

The issue was central to the campaign of CPM whistleblower and MLA-elect V Kunhikrishnan, who openly alleged that Payyannur MLA T I Madhusoodanan and his associates had diverted money collected for Dhanaraj’s family, for building the party office, and the 2021 election campaign.

Kunhikrishnan’s victory in CPM bastion Payyannur -- where the party secured the highest vote share of 62.49% in 2021 in Kerala -- was widely read as a sign that his allegations had struck a chord with the party base.

But the posters suggest that even after the election, cadres are not willing to let the issue die. They appear determined to force the leadership to disclose the accounts and fix accountability.

When Kunhikrishnan first went public with the allegations, CPM's Kannur district secretary K K Ragesh had said the accounts would be shared with party sympathisers and party families. That has not happened so far.

When the posters first appeared across town, some were quickly removed, but not before they had spread on social media and become a talking point.