The conflicts outside the Thiruvananthapuram corporation reached a peak on Monday, November 7, when police used tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse protesting Youth Congress workers. They were protesting against a letter, purportedly written by mayor Arya Rajendran, that sought a "priority list" of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) cadres to be appointed in temporary posts in the civic body. It has kicked up a political controversy in Kerala with the Congress and BJP demanding her immediate resignation.
It was on Saturday, November 5, that the letter, which addressed CPI(M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappan as “comrade”, was published by the Malayala Manorama daily. It was dated November 1 and contained both the official letter head of the mayor and her signature. The letter listed 295 vacancies in the corporation’s health department. Arya denied any connection with the letter and approached Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking an enquiry. Crime branch deputy superintendent of police (DySP) Jaleel Thottathil will investigate the case under the supervision of superintendent of police (SP) S Madhusoodanan.
However, neither Arya’s explanation nor the launch of the crime branch investigation has appeased the protestors as this is not the first time that leaders of the CPI(M) led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has been accused of favouritism or nepotism. TNM looks at some of the allegations of nepotism levelled against the Pinarayi Vijayan government over the course of the last six years. Two ministers have had to resign during this period following allegations of nepotism.
In 2016, a few months after the first Pinarayi Vijayan government came to power, the then Minister of Industries EP Jayarajan had to step down after a nepotism row. It was alleged that he had appointed several relatives in key positions in the departments under his portfolio. The controversy began with the appointment of PK Sudheer, his nephew and the son of MP PK Sreemathy, as the managing director of Kerala State Industrial Enterprises. Sudheer had to step down following the controversy. Deepthy Nishad, another close relative of Jayarajan, also stepped down from her role as manager of Kerala Clays and Ceramics after the controversy erupted.
In April 2021, KT Jaleel, the then Minister of Higher Education, Welfare of Minorities, Waqf, and Hajj, resigned after the Lokayukta found him guilty of nepotism. He was accused of appointing a relative to a government role and the Lokayukta had asked the Chief Minister to ask Jaleel to resign. He approached the High Court to quash the order but resigned just before the case came up in court.
TNM had earlier covered the CPI (M)’s influence on appointments to the state’s Child Welfare Committees (CWC) and the detrimental effects it has on the system. Appointments based on political favouritism had resulted in persons with no expertise in matters related to children insensitively handling child rights issues.
Amidst the controversy surrounding the mayor’s letter, opposition leader VD Satheesan flagged a similar letter written by DR Anil, Corporation Works standing committee chairman, at a press meet on Saturday, November 5. Anil allegedly wrote to Nagappan asking him to apply political pressure to appoint Kudumbasree workers in the construction of a lounge for bystanders at the SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. Anil later admitted that he had in fact written the letter but had not sent it. “I wrote that to make the appointment done quickly through Kudumbasree. However, I did not send it, someone leaked it,” he told the media.