CPI(M)’s central committee (CC) member EP Jayarajan had recently saved Kerala’s lDF Government from a huge crisis created by nepotism charges against him by resigning from the Cabinet. Will his sister-in-law PK Sreemathi, accused of involvement in the same scandal, follow his footsteps and resign as Kannur MP is the question being discussed now in the grassroots level in the Marxist party and outside.
Sreemathi, another CC member, has reportedly written to the party’s central leadership expressing her readiness to quit but observers do not see the possibility of the party accepting her offer. Sreemathi’s move is generally viewed as a ploy to ensure that no harsh disciplinary action is taken against her when the nepotism issue comes up for discussion in the CC.
The seemingly pre-emptive move of Sreemathi has come at a time when anxiety is prevailing in the party over what kind of disciplinary action it should take against Jayarajan and her over the nepotism charge that had brought shame to the lDF in general and CPI(M) in particular and pushed the State Government, which was otherwise gaining popularity, into a deep crisis.
The nepotism scandal pertains to the appointment of Sudheer Nambiar, son of Sreemathi, as managing director of public sector Kerala Industrial Enterprises when Jayarajan was Industries minister. Jayarajan resigned from the Cabinet on October 14 after the State secretariat of the party was convinced that he was guilty of committing a grave mistake with the posting.
“His resignation was a big face-saver for the Government, for which the issue ended practically there – though a Vigilance inquiry is on against him – but the issue is not over as far as the CPI(M) is concerned. The party cannot avoid taking action against Jayarajan and Sreemathi considering the current balance of power in the CC, “ said a former CPI(M) theorist from Kochi.
Though the party had found Jayarajan guilty, he is still arguing that he had acted only legally in the matter of the nepotistic appointments – there were several other nepotistic postings than that of Nambiar – but the fact is that he is thought to be adopting this position as he does not want to be seen as confirming the charge that Sreemathi had put pressure on him for her son.
A party-level inquiry into the issue is yet to be completed but demands have come up from within the CPI(M), the lDF and outside for Sreemathi’s resignation as MP before that. The top leadership of the party also is of the opinion that Sreemathi was as responsible as Jayarajan in the appointment of her son in public sector unit.
This is not the first time charge of nepotism is being leveled against Sreemathi. She had appointed her daughter-in-law in her personal staff when she was Health minister in the 2006-2011 lDF government allegedly without clearance from the party. Sreemathi had later ensured her promotion but at that point the party intervened.
After Nambiar’s appointment became a controversy, Sreemathi had said in a Facebook post – which she later withdrew – that the party leadership had known of the appointment of her daughter-in-law though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who was State CPI(M) secretary at that time, had denied this. Sreemathi had drawn much flak from the party for this Facebook post.
According to CPI(M) insiders, the party leadership is unlikely to ask Sreemathi to resign as Kannur MP because it can be a suicidal move considering the peculiarities of that constituency. Sreemathi’s winning margin in Kannur over Congress’s K Sudhakaran in the 2014 election was just 6566 votes whereas he had won that seat in 2009 by a margin of over 43,000 votes.
Also, the State committee of the CPI(M) is unlikely to recommend to the central committee that Sreemathi should be asked to resign as MP, sources say. However, asked about the developments by newsmen, Sreemathi said she had not even thought of resigning and that she did not want to say anything more about the issue.
