P Shashi It is said that many things Pinarayi Vijayan — fixer, hatchet man, confidant. However, what about CM Political Secretary Has he gotten too big for his shoes?
It has been the best time for Communist Party veteran Pinarayi Vijayan ever since he took over as the Chief Minister. Chief Minister His re-election as CM of Kerala in 2016 and with an increased majority in the 2021 Assembly elections.
It made them invincible Team As well as in state politics. It is a well-known fact that he had some friends and admirers in the opposition – some of them were hoping to join him to ensure uninterrupted stay in power. He even had some well-wishers in the BJP.
Inside CPMHe became the undisputed authority after VS Achuthanandan’s fortunes faded. Yet, at the peak of his power, Pinarayi now looks feeble – like a giant with feet of clay.
These days the Chief Minister looks visibly weak, with sudden outbursts of irritability and irrational anger, giving him the image of a man who has lost his direction.
The best or perhaps the worst example of this phenomenon came to public notice when he announced the induction of P Sasi, a controversial leader, into the party. transgenderas his political secretary. It was surprising that an important post related to police in the Chief Minister’s Office was given to a person who himself had criminal charges against him!
This post is one of the most important in the administration, and the person in this position has to walk a tough line, balancing the interests of the public, the party and the police force. The police force is full of corrupt elements and there are power groups within the party too who try to bend the rules for their own benefit. One wrong move, and the whole thing falls apart. Administration By putting mud on the face.
When Pinarayi first came to power, secretariat member Puthalath Dineshan was in charge of the task, but he failed and moved on to become the editor of the party newspaper. Then came MV Jayarajan, an affable leader from Kannur who had the acumen, tact and experience to handle the task. But he could not last long in the chief minister’s office as he was asked to take over the leadership of the crucial Kannur unit of the party. The incumbent P Jayarajan went on to contest the Vadakara Lok Sabha election in 2019. He lost but failed to regain the party post as neither Pinarayi nor others in the leadership supported him.
This gave P Sasi a chance to return to the limelight he had been craving for a long time. He was the former district secretary of the CPM in Kannur who was expelled from the party in 2011. Since then, he has been a practising lawyer in Thalassery, handling party affairs, until he rejoined the party in 2018. He was an odd choice because as political secretary to chief minister EK Nayanar during the 1996-2001 government and secretary of the party Kannur unit, he had played some very controversial innings. Known as a power-hungry man with no conscience, he enjoyed power like a feudal chieftain. When he was in the government, his alleged exploits with young women officials in the administration were rampant and when he served the party, his attention turned to some female relatives of party leaders in Kannur.
The erotic conquests of the young and energetic secretary were well known in party circles and some of the victims complained to the leadership. It was not easy to suppress them and finally, they had to leave the party in disgrace. Though the party never openly admitted the truth of these dirty stories, the action taken against them spoke clearly about their truth. It was a downfall of epic proportions.
This shrewd activist had made his way up the party ranks right from his days in the SFI, where he served as state secretary in the early eighties. He was never a charismatic figure, nor did he excel as a mass leader. Yet, his rise through the party ranks was meteoric, nurtured through strategic relationships with important leaders. He was a behind-the-scenes manipulator, a shrewd adept at using the changing equations of power to his advantage.
Pinarayi’s rise after bitter internal conflicts gave him the best chance to come back into the limelight. He was close to Vijayan and was even called his legal brain after the demise of senior advocate MK Damodaran, who was Pinarayi’s troubleshooter. Sasi was certainly close to the chief minister. Yet not many expected him to return to the powerful position in the state committee because of his disgraceful reputation. But he succeeded and since then he has been known to pull strings from behind, even putting the chief minister in trouble. Some of them were ridiculous – like the case of a mic operator being criminally charged because his mic started ‘screaming’ just before the chief minister was about to speak!
All these matters were minor compared to the serious issues. Rebellion He has created a stir within the party and among legislators at a time when the party is starting its four-year convention. PV Anwar may be at the forefront, but he is not alone. The allegations against Sasi’s overbearing and domineering behaviour are serious and the resentment is widespread. It is a rebellion that is threatening even the chief minister. Sasi seems to have built a group around him that includes many people Sangh Parivar Among the supporters present in the administration, whether the Chief Minister is aware of it or not.
The allegations of phone tapping of political leaders, journalists, MLAs and even ministers are very serious and might force the party and the Chief Minister to take some action.
It won’t take long as the ongoing party conference will force the hand of the party and the CM. The murmurings are loud and clear. He may be asked to step down soon, but that will be seen as another blow to the CM’s image, which is already shaken by a series of troubles. The CM seems to be facing a Hobson’s choice in this case: removing Sasi like a hot potato will damage his image since he was the one who put him in office knowing the dangers well; on the other hand, retaining him will mean allowing his opponents to throw stones at a wasp’s nest in his own backyard.
The author is a senior journalist
