Facing heat over the rape allegations against his elder son, CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Saturday sought to distance the party and himself from the case.
Looking visibly uncomfortable as he faced a barrage of questions from the media personnel, Balakrishnan said his son Binoy was an adult and responsible for his actions,adding that he need not expect any protection from him or from the party.
This is the first time Kodiyeri was reacting on the charges of rape and cheating against his son, raised by a former bar dancer of Mumbai.
"Neither my party CPI(M) nor I will protect Binoy. He is an adult. He stays as a separate family and is responsible for his actions," Kodiyeri said.
The complainant, a 33-year-old woman from Mumbai, had alleged that Binoy had raped her promising marriage and she had an eight-year-old son from the relationship.
Mumbai Police has registered a case against Binoy, who is said to be abscounding.
Balakrishnan, who was undergoing ayurvedic treatment,today attended the CPI(M) state secretariat at the AKG Centre here and also met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the morning.
Speculations were rife since this morning that Kodiyeri would put in his papers.
Surprising the media, the veteran leader called for a press meet this evening and made it clear his son would fight the case legally and neither he nor the party would back him.
He also said the party would not shoulder the responsiblity of the misdemeanours committed by the family members of party workers. "This is a lesson to every party member that CPI(M) will not take responsibility in case any family member commits any offence," Balakrishanan said.
The allegations need to be probed to bring out the truth, he said, adding Binoy would have to prove his innocence.
The CPI(M)'s stand on the issue had earlier been made clear by its General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who had stated that the party will not interfere in the matter as it was an issue related to an individual and not to the party, he said. Denying media reports that he had offered to step down from the party leadership, Balakrishnan said "if I had done any wrong, the party will decide and take the action".
Claiming that he got to know about the case only after Mumbai police registered an FIR, he rejected media reports that the woman and her family had contacted him. "No one spoke to me in this regard.All the reports that I or my family had contacted her (complainant) are allegations that have been mentioned in the complaint. Let the court decide," he said.