Months after the nepotism controversy broke around former Kerala Industries and Sports Minister EP Jayarajan, the CPI (M) has decide to issue a ‘warning’ to him and his wife's sister and MP PK Sreemathy.
The party Central Committee, which met in New Delhi on Wednesday, found that Jayarajan and Sreemathy had erred in the controversial appointment of Sudheer Nambiar to the post of Managing Director of the Kerala State Industrial Enterprises (KSIE) in October last year.
Sudheer, who is Jayarajan's nephew and PK Sreemathy's son, was appointed to the post on October 2. But the backlash that built up over the appointment saw Sudheer’s exit even before he assumed the post, and also claimed Jayarajan’s post within a few days.
The Central Committee noted on Wednesday that both Jayarajan and Sreemathy were members of the Committee, and such actions from senior members were not acceptable. The Committee agreed that disciplinary action (in the form of a warning) must be initiated against the two leaders to set an example to the other leaders.
Reprimanding the two senior leaders, the Committee upheld the state committee's and the Polit Bureau's (PB) stand on the issue. The state Secretariat had earlier conducted an inquiry into the matter and submitted its report to the PB.
Following the PB announcing its stand on the matter, Jayarajan maintained an aloof distance, even skipping the Central Committee meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The nepotism allegation against EP Jayarajan was one of the first major controversies faced by the CPI (M)-led Pinarayi Vijayan government. Though Jayarajan had refuted the allegations in the beginning, he resigned from his ministership a few days later, in what was seen as an "honorable exit" by many.
Although the controversy had earned widespread criticism for the state government, it also built up CM Pinarayi’s reputation as a tough and just CM, who took timely action against a “corrupt” minister.