Disgruntled CPI leaders seek probe into MLA’s “suspicious foreign trips”
The Communist Party of India (CPI) is once again embroiled in a controversy regarding “payment seat”. The allegation has not been raised by political rivals but by party colleagues who allege that Pattambi MLA Mohammed Mohsin, the JNU alumnus and Kanhaiya Kumar aide, bought the seat by offering a hefty amount.
According to the leaders of All India Youth Federation, the youth-wing of CPI, Mohsin does not have anything to do with the party. EK Shaji, AIYF Palakkat district committee member who had chaired the meeting held to select the candidate for the last Assembly election, says one Muslim extremist organisation had paid the money for Mohsin’s seat. The Pattambi seat was put up for “sale” by CPI and six aspirants approached the party but it was given to the “highest bidder” Mohsin. Shaji says Mohsin’s only qualification for the seat was he had participated in the anti-national campaign of the Tukde-Tukde gang led by Left radicals and Jihadis. Shaji says though he had taken up the matter of “sale of ticket” his objections were over-ruled by even central party leaders.
CPI local leader VP Sajeesh questioned the activities of the party MLA. Local leaders complained to state and national leaders about the style of functioning of the MLA. However, there has been no corrective action from the party higher-ups. The complaints invited the wrath of the MLA and his henchmen and they brutally attacked Shaji and others in the party’s Mandalam Committee office in 2017. The attackers were led by the MLA himself.
Shaji and Sajeesh claimed that they were physically assaulted several times for not supporting the MLA. Local Committee secretary Mukesh, AIYF leader Rahul, CPI district committee member R Abhilash, senior leader Joseph Raj and EK Shaji are the victims of attacks by MLA’s goons. The state leadership of the party did not permit the victims to complain against the MLA hence people of Kerala did not know about it, the party leaders said.
Sajeesh also raised questions about Mohsin’s “clandestine and suspicious foreign trips” to West Asian countries. He alleged that the MLA refuse to participate in party programmes. According to him, the party was not informed about the MLA’s marriage to a UP bride. This is violation of party’s code of ethics. The leaders said they can reveal more murky details about the MLA provided they are provided with security.
There were allegations that the CPI had “sold” the Thiruvananthapuram seat to Dr. Bennet Abraham, the owner of a self-financing college against whom the party had staged many protests, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The controversy was raked in by none other than CPI leaders. A party’s top leader lost his position for bringing this out.
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