PV Anvar joins TMC, but is Congress really out? | Powertrip #88

Welcome to this week’s Powertrip, a political newsletter exclusively curated for TNM and NL subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Haritha John. This week we write about the curious case of ex-Kerala legislator PV Anvar joining the TMC and not the Congress. In the Karnataka Congress, a rift between a section of Dalit leaders and state in-charge Randeep Surjewala is widening. After the Union government asked the Kerala state government to provide land in Cheemeni to set up a nuclear power plant, local members of the state’s ruling CPI(M) have made it clear that they will strongly protest the move..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only.Anvar joins TMC, but is Congress really out?PV Anvar joining the TMC caught many off guard, especially since the party has no real presence in Kerala. For the TMC, though, he’s a big win. Anvar is already a well-known figure with enough clout to win elections regardless of the party he represents. Plus, the TMC has been trying to expand its influence beyond its stronghold in Bengal—after its push in Goa, Kerala seems to be next on its list.But the real question is, why did Anvar pick the TMC over Congress? And why didn’t Congress go all out to bring him into their fold, especially when he could have strengthened their position in Nilambur and across Malappuram?Insiders in Congress say there were serious talks about bringing Anvar on board. He’s known to be close to Pinarayi Vijayan’s camp and has been a major funder for the CPI(M). A senior Congress leader even pointed out that Anvar’s network of business contacts could have been a financial asset for the party. Beyond that, he has media clout and could potentially expose damaging details about Pinarayi and his inner circle—something that could seriously hurt the CPI(M) and the Chief Minister’s Office.However, not everyone in the Congress was on board. Some second-tier leaders reportedly raised concerns that Anvar’s entry might hurt their own prospects within the party. To avoid internal strife, the Congress and Anvar struck a middle ground: he would officially join the TMC but still lend support to the UDF alliance in Kerala. This way, he could help bolster the opposition without upsetting the Congress hierarchy.But here’s the twist. Sources close to Anvar say that the TMC isn’t entirely comfortable yet. They fear he might jump ship to the Congress closer to the elections—a move that could shake up alliances and strategies as voting day approaches..Section of Karnataka Congress leaders takes aim at SurjewalaA section of Dalit leaders in the Karnataka Congress is turning up the heat on state in-charge Randeep Surjewala, and the pressure is mounting on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to step in. These leaders, led by Home Minister G Parameshwara, along with ministers KN Rajanna and Mahadevappa, want Siddaramaiah to write to the party high command demanding Surjewala’s replacement.The rift reportedly began when Parameshwara wasn’t allowed to host a dinner meeting with Dalit leaders to plan a ‘Swabhimani Samavesha’ (Self-Respect Conference) in Hassan in February. Surjewala objected, arguing that any community-specific meeting outside the party’s official banner was not acceptable. Instead, he assured them a significant role in the ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan’ event in Belagavi. However, the Belagavi event is being organised under directives from Delhi to commemorate 100 years of the historic 1924 Congress session led by Mahatma Gandhi, leaving little room for local leadership to shape the agenda.Adding fuel to the fire is the long-pending Sadashiva Commission report. Dalit leaders have been pushing Siddaramaiah to table the report and implement internal reservations. The Chief Minister has assured them it will be addressed in the Cabinet meeting on January 30, but not everyone is on board. Some Dalit leaders fear the fallout of implementing the report and had previously urged Surjewala to delay its consideration. Surjewala, however, reportedly refused to intervene, further aggravating tensions.Now, these leaders see replacing Surjewala as their chance to delay the issue. With a new state in-charge, they hope to revisit the matter and make their case afresh, keeping their reservations about the report in check. All eyes are on Siddaramaiah as he navigates the growing dissent within his party..CPI(M) local unit to protest against nuclear plantWith the Union government eyeing the Cheemeni region in Kerala’s Kasaragod district as a potential location for setting up a nuclear power plant, local members of the state’s ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] have made it clear that they will strongly protest the move.Recently, Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs Manohar Lal said that if the Kerala government provides sufficient land for the project, then the Union government was willing to set up the plant in the state, with Cheemeni being the preferred location. This particular announcement was made following a meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi, Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty, and other top bureaucrats.While the top leaders of the Left government are yet to make any formal statements or remarks regarding the nuclear plant project, local leaders of the party told TNM that regardless of the stand of the Kerala government, they will protest against the plant and not stand and watch other parties or groups hijack the protest.Similar protests were taken up by CPI(M) workers in 2018 when their own government had planned to acquire land in Kannur’s Keezhattoor to construct a bypass road through paddy fields. Party workers in Cheemeni said that similar protests will be held if the nuclear plant project is approved by the state government and said that they are confident that the party will stand with them..Zero HourA political story of public importance.The murder of a journalist and the forgotten Maoist war in Bastar.Few people realise how intrinsically Mukesh Chandrakar’s killing is linked to the Maoist insurgency in the region..PowermovesTop 5 political stories1. Malayalam cinema’s reckoning: The Hema report and its aftermath, so far2. Women of Telangana’s Lagacherla struggle as men desert village fearing arrest3. Almost a year on, Chennai caste killing victims Praveen & Sharmila’s cases in limbo 4. Andhra CM Naidu says only those with more than two kids should contest local body polls 5. Two Karnataka HC judges attend Brahmin convention, extol virtues of communityWatch: Indian middle class & rising financial burden: What’s the way out? | LME 58

PV Anvar joins TMC, but is Congress really out? | Powertrip #88

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