Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 14 : In wake of Kerala’s beleaguered CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan relinquishing his position on medical grounds, the buzz is that he is “deeply pained” as he feels badly let down by the party in general and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in particular.
Though the party appears to have given him an honourable exit on medical grounds as he is a cancer patient, those in the know of things, however, say that Balakrishnan, who had one round of treatment in the US, is not planning to return there for further treatment, as it can be done here itself.
Balakrishnan has been feeling the heat for a while now, on account of the alleged wrongdoings of his two sons.
The elder one, Binoy, came under a cloud in the past when an Arab national wrote to the party General Secretary alleging he was cheated by him. The issue created a big furore, but one day, it was said to be settled – though what actually happened is yet to be known.
And then came another scandal, when a woman from Bihar said Binoy is the father of her child and a court case began in Mumbai. The DNA results are awaited and according to those in the know of things, it wouldn’t be long when the result would be handed in a sealed cover to the Mumbai court.
When things appeared to be quiet, came the gold smuggling case in which senior IAS official and Principal Secretary to Vijayan, M. Sivasankar, has been arrested after multiple rounds of questioning by central agencies. As the case broke out, all eyes were on Balakrishnan’s younger son, Bineesh, to see he was involved too.
Though he was not, he was in trouble after his friend and business associate Anoop Mohammed was picked up by the Narcotics Control Bureau’s Bengaluru unit.
Soon came the news that Bineesh was asked to appear before the NCB in Bengaluru and on October 29 he was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and is now housed at a jail in the Karnataka capital.
Popular media critic and left veteran and former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan’s former close aide K.M. Shajahan, who was once a firebrand CPI-M supporter but today is a staunch opponent, said it is surprising and strange to hear the explanation that Balakrishnan was relieved on medical grounds.
“All know what the real reason, as due to the wrongdoings of his sons, the party’s image has been sullied as well as that of Balakrishnan. Never in the history of the CPI-M in Kerala has it taken such a beating and Bineesh and Binoy was able to do all sorts of things because they were the sons of Balakrishnan… I can point out any number of instances where the party has taken action against several of its leaders for the slightest of errors,” said Shajahan.
Now all eyes are on what would be the fate of Vijayan’s close aide, his Assistant Private Secretary C.M. Ravindran, who is waiting to recover from Covid, as he has been asked to appear before the Enforcement Directorate.
It is all being reported that two more members of Vijayan’s staff might also be called in by the ED.
Should Ravindran land in trouble, Vijayan will have to take the Balakrishnan route as the opposition Congress and BJP have been demanding his resignation in light of all the emerging scandals. This has intensified after Bineesh was arrested and Balakrishnan quit, as they have started to question his staying on, contending that what Bineesh was to Balakrishnan, Sivasankar was to Vijayan.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from IANS service.