A ‘compromise’ from 2013 returns to haunt Congress-CPI(M) in Kerala

The allegation of compromise politics is back to haunt the CPI(M) and the Congress in Kerala following the alleged revelation that the Left agitation against the Congress regime in 2013 in the solar scandal was abruptly withdrawn following a deal.

The controversy stemmed from the revelation of senior journalist John Mundakayam, who recently superannuated from Malayala Manorama, that he along with Kairali TV managing director John Brittas had played middlemen in the deal and that Brittas, now CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member, had broached with him the CPI(M) intention to end the agitation.

On August 11, 2013, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) laid a siege to the state secretariat demanding the resignation of Congress chief minister Oommen Chandy and a judicial probe into the scandal. Two days later, the CPI(M) abruptly called off the siege after the government ordered a judicial probe.

Mundakayam, in an article published in a Malayalam weekly on Friday, said Brittas wanted him to convey to Chandy that the CPI(M) was ready to end the siege if the government declared the judicial probe. As per the article, Mundakayam conveyed Brittas’s message to Chandy and his home minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who got in touch with Brittas and CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. As per the CPI(M) demand raised by Brittas, Chandy announced a judicial probe, leading to the wind-up of the Left agitation. The journalist alleged that several senior CPI(M) leaders including Thomas Isaac were in the dark about the discussions to end the agitation.

Addressing media persons in Kannur, Brittas, a close confidant of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said the claim of Mundakayam is a creation of his imagination, but admitted that “it is partially correct”.

“It was Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who called me through Cherian Philip (a Congress leader but was with the CPI(M) in 2013). It was Thiruvanchoor who conveyed to me the Congress’s willingness for any climbdown to end the agitation. It was not the CPI(M) but the Congress which wanted to end the agitation… The agitation was withdrawn after the government acceded to CPI(M) demands,” he said.

Cherian Philip, who returned to the Congress in 2021 after his decade-long stint with the CPI(M), said both the Congress and the CPI(M) wanted to end the agitation.

Philip told the media that he was part of the discussions to end the agitation. “Brittas and I met Thiruvanchoor, then home minister, in his office. Brittas joined the discussion at my behest. Both the CPI(M) and the Congress wanted to end the agitation, no matter who had taken the initiative for it. The intervention was meant to avert a tragedy,” he said.

Known to be a close associate of the late Chandy, Thiruvanchoor said, “It was Brittas who called from the phone of Cherian to end the agitation. We don’t want to reveal who had taken the initiative. We used that opportunity to end the agitation. We had created a situation in which they (LDF) could not go ahead with the agitation.”

BJP state president K Surendran said the revelation shows the compromise politics between the CPI(M) and the Congress. “The CPI(M) withdrew the agitation after settling the murder case of party rebel and RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan (who was killed in 2012),” he said.

However, Thiruvanchoor on Saturday said the withdrawal of the solar agitation by the CPI(M) was not related to the Chandrasekharan murder case.

For the latest news from across India, Political updates, Explainers, Sports News, Opinion, Entertainment Updates and more Top News, visit Indian Express. Subscribe to our award-winning Newsletter Download our App here Android & iOS