Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s Denial Of A ‘Malappuram’ Mention Doesn't Add Up: Case Of One 'Comrade' Trying To Save Another?

A political storm erupted recently after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan allegedly mentioned that 150 kilograms of gold and hawala money worth Rs 123 crore were seized by Kerala police over the last five years from Malappuram district. 

These remarks, which singled out the district and claimed the money was being used for ‘anti-state’ and ‘anti-national’ activities, were reportedly made during an interview with The Hindu.

In response, Left-backed independent Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) P V Anvar, who previously made a number of allegations against Vijayan’s political secretary, P Sasi, and Additional Director General of Police, M R Ajith Kumar, criticised the Chief Minister.

He claimed Vijayan was against Muslims and had portrayed Malappuram, a Muslim-majority district, in a negative light.

Soon enough, the Congress and its alliance partner, the Indian Union Muslim League, joined the fray. They accused Vijayan of communal bias and demanded an apology for his remarks. 

However, Vijayan denied making such comments about Malappuram. The Hindu also issued a correction, stating that the remarks were added at the request of a PR (public relations) agency that facilitated the interview.

While distancing himself from the remarks, Vijayan insisted that the seizures of gold and hawala money from the district were factual.

Things don't add up, though. Why would a reputed newspaper insert remarks based on a PR agency’s request?

The opposition wasn't convinced. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Surendran called the remarks a feeble attempt to secure Hindu votes. He accused Vijayan of backing down under pressure from Muslim organisations after previously encouraging Islamic fundamentalists.

Congress' V D Satheesan, the leader of the opposition, questioned whether the government would sue the PR firm if Vijayan hadn’t made the remarks.

According to Onmanorama, the PR firm’s representative, T D Subramanian, who was present during the interview, has ties to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)).

He is a former leader of the CPI(M)’s student wing, the Students Federation of India, and the son of T K Devakumar, a former CPI(M) MLA from Harippad. He had also previously worked with Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), an organisation started by Prashant Kishor.

This has led some to believe that The Hindu is doing Vijayan a favour after the fallout from the remarks. After all, one of the newspaper's owners is known to be sympathetic to the Left. This could be an instance of one 'comrade' looking out for another.

Also Read: Kerala: Independent MLA Anvar, Who Attacked CM Vijayan, Set To Launch New Political Party To 'Uphold Secular Values'