Senior CPM leader P Jayarajan under fire for ‘glorifying himself’

The criticism of Jayarajan, a confidant of Chief Minister Pinarayi VIjayan, has aroused curiosity in political circles because it is being seen as a possible emergence of polarisation in the CPM’s powerful Kannur district unit.

Senior CPM leader and Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan is reportedly under fire from the state party committee for allegedly glorifying himself and thus going against Communist practices.

The criticism of Jayarajan, a confidant of Chief Minister Pinarayi VIjayan, has aroused curiosity in political circles because it is being seen as a possible emergence of polarisation in the CPM’s powerful Kannur district unit.

A host of prominent leaders, including Vijayan, party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, central committee members E P Jayarajan and P K Sreemathi form the “Kannur lobby”.

Reacting to reports that he had come under fire during the state committee meeting on Saturday, Jayarajan Monday said, “Criticism and self-criticism take place only in CPM, which is different from other parties. CPM, which has nurtured me, has every right to criticise me. In that criticism, what is required will be imbibed,” he said.

Sources said there has been a grouse among senior leaders that Jayarajan has been “undemocratically interfering’’ in meetings of grassroot-level units, which are being held as a precursor to the party congress, slated next year.

Sources said Jayarajan had created an impression that he was promoting himself within party circles. A video, which shows him as the “red star” of Kannur, recently came out. It was also cited that during party meetings in Kannur to protest against the CBI slapping UAPA sections against Jayarajan in connection with an RSS worker’s murder, notes were reportedly distributed containing verses glorifying him, sources said.

Following Jayarajan’s reaction, the party state secretariat issued a release saying self-criticism was natural in the party. “There was an attempt to distort self-criticism to create news. The state committee has not taken any disciplinary action against Jayarajan as reported in a section of media,’’ it said.

Ironically, it was Jayarajan who once criticised party veteran V S Achuthanandan over his alleged bid to carve an image above the party. Jayarajan had quoted from Aesop’s fable, The Ass Carrying An Image, to compare Achuthanandan to the ass who thought people were bowing to him instead of the image (party).