Video of CPM Politburo member at event with SDPI leader triggers political row
A video of CPM Politburo member A. Vijayaraghavan at a private gathering, where an SDPI leader was present, has caused controversy among Left workers. The CPM stated it was a family function, denying political connections.
A video of CPM Politburo member A. Vijayaraghavan at a private gathering, where an SDPI leader was present, has caused controversy among Left workers. The CPM stated it was a family function, denying political connections.
A video of CPM Politburo member A. Vijayaraghavan at a private gathering, where an SDPI leader was present, has caused controversy among Left workers. The CPM stated it was a family function, denying political connections.
Malappuram: A video showing A. Vijayaraghavan, Politburo member of the CPM, attending a private event where a local SDPI leader was present has triggered criticism among sections of Left party workers and the SDPI apart from sparking controversy on social media.
The video shows Vijayaraghavan having food with a group of people while SDPI local leader Muhammed Shafi Pilassery, popular as ‘Sabka Shafi’, was singing at the function. The event, held in Kozhikode on May 3, was reportedly a gathering of around 40 business partners and took place a day before the Assembly election results were announced.
Shafi later confirmed Vijayaraghavan’s presence at the event and clarified that the CPM leader had attended only as a guest following an invitation from a CPM worker who was part of the business collective.
“It was only a brief visit. One of our members came to know that Vijayaraghavan was in Kozhikode and invited him to the function. He stayed there for around 10 minutes, had food and left,” Shafi said.
He also stated that there was no political discussion or political connection behind the visit. According to him, the gathering was purely personal in nature and included supporters of different political parties, including CPM and IUML.
“I was singing when he arrived. He greeted me, but we did not even have a conversation. I had met Vijayaraghavan only twice earlier, both during public functions,” Shafi added.
The controversy comes amid earlier allegations regarding SDPI’s alleged support for Left candidates in certain constituencies during the Assembly elections, including in Manjeswaram in Kasaragod district.
Following the circulation of the video, the state leadership of the Social Democratic Party of India reportedly sought an explanation from Shafi.
Meanwhile, the CPM Malappuram district secretariat strongly condemned the social media campaign targeting Vijayaraghavan. In a statement, the party clarified that the CPM leader had attended a housewarming function connected to the family of CPM district committee member Gafur P. Lillies.
The party alleged that some media outlets circulated the video without verifying the facts and described the campaign as a deliberate attempt to defame party leaders.
The statement further said Vijayaraghavan has consistently taken a strong stand against religious extremism and has often faced criticism from both Sangh Parivar groups and Muslim extremist organisations for upholding secular positions. Rejecting the allegations as baseless, the party said attempts at character assassination through misinformation would be resisted.