CPI(M) Defends Jayarajan's Meetings with Opposition Leaders, Claims No Malice

CPI(M)-led Kerala government defends meeting between party leader Jayarajan and BJP's Javadekar, saying it was casual and non-political. Party directs Jayarajan to end association with alleged middleman Nandakumar. CPI(M) confident of winning majority in Kerala in Lok Sabha polls despite reduced voter turnout. Party accuses Congress of aligning with BJP to weaken Left and polarizing voters on communal grounds. Jayarajan denies BJP joining claims, calls them baseless and part of a planned agenda. The controversy stems from allegations that Jayarajan met Javadekar to discuss switching parties, which both leaders have denied.

The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala on Monday defended party veteran and LDF convenor E P Jayarajan and said there was nothing wrong with his meeting with senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar.

The party said it was quite common for political leaders to meet their counterparts from other parties.

However, the Left party made it clear that directions have been given to Jayarajan to end his relationship with persons like T G Nandakumar, who allegedly played the role of a middleman by facilitating his alleged meeting with Javadekar, who is also the in-charge of the BJP in the state.

While addressing a press conference at the AKG Centre here, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said some 'yellow journalism' is suggesting that the labourer's party will fall for right-wing politics with just a meeting with a BJP leader, but Left parties have a different history in Kerala.

He said Jayarajan himself had confirmed about the meeting, which had happened a year ago.

''Now this is being discussed as a big issue,'' Govindan said, answering a barrage of questions from the media.

The whole issue was the result of a larger conspiracy by someone with absolute hatred for Communists and Jayarajan would take legal action against those who have been propagating utter lies with regard to this meeting.

Govindan further said the party would support Jayarajan in his legal fight.

''The party, however, has taken a stand that the relationship of party cadres with individuals like Nandakumar should end,'' he said.

Analysing the recently held Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, the CPI(M) leader said the Left would win a majority of the Parliament seats in the southern state.

''Almost all LDF voters have come to the polling booths and the reduced polling was witnessed in the Congress-led UDF's strong pockets. So the reduction in the polling percentage is going to adversely affect the UDF,'' he said.

Govindan said the BJP is getting weakened with every passing phase of the ongoing general elections and people have squarely rejected 'Modi's guarantee'.

The Lok Sabha polls are held in seven phases and two phases have been completed, including 20 seats in Kerala.

The CPI(M) state secretary accused Congress of aligning with the BJP in Kerala to weaken the Left party.

The grand-old party was considered a secular force to fight the BJP's communal agenda but it had stooped to the level of communally polarising people in Kerala, especially in constituencies like Vadakara, Govindan alleged.

He said the UDF carried out a personal hate campaign against LDF candidate K K Shailaja in Vadakara instead of fighting the elections politically.

He also accused BJP leaders of echoing the communal agenda of the PM, saying that some leaders are telling blatant lies in Kerala in an attempt to legitimise Modi's speeches.

Earlier in the day, Jayarajan sought to downplay the controversy surrounding his meeting with Javadekar, saying it was not a political one, which is why he did not inform his party about it.

He also dismissed the claim of BJP's Lok Sabha candidate for Alappuzha, Shobha Surendran, that he expressed interest to join the saffron party and reiterated that he had never ever met her before or discussed it even over the phone.

The CPI(M) leader said he hadn't liked Surendran and termed the woman leader's speeches as ''awkward.'' ''Is there a need to inform the party about all those who meet me? Did any political discussion take place? A person just came and met me. Should I inform the party about it?'' he asked.

The CPI(M) veteran also said there was nothing unusual for people to meet senior leaders, and there was no need to report everything to the party.

Asked whether he was being targeted, the leader said he suspected that there was an agenda behind the developments.

He also wanted the media to carry out an impartial investigation into the raging issue.

Nandakumar also rejected Shobha Surendran's charges against the CPI(M) leader.

''What Shobha Surendran had claimed against E P Jayarajan was baseless. She had never met him... She had no role in the meeting between Jayarajan and Javadekar,'' he told the media.

He further claimed that Jayarajan had neither visited New Delhi nor Dubai, as claimed by Surendran, in connection with the meeting.

The accusations levelled by political opponents about Jayarajan's alleged plans to join the BJP triggered shock waves in the ruling Left.

The row acquired a new dimension after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Lok Sabha election day, cautioned Jayarajan to be vigilant in his associations.

Shobha Surendran had dropped a bombshell recently that a middleman tried to help a top CPI(M) leader who wanted to defect to the BJP, and on the eve of LS elections claimed that the leader was E P Jayarajan.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)