#Ajayan
Like straight out of an absurdist drama, Kerala watched in bewilderment as CPM Kerala unit secretary MV Govindan trotted out his well worn-out and utterly unconvincing rhetoric to defend actor Mukesh, now embroiled in a storm of sexual abuse allegations. With the party clinging to the mantra that accusations must be proven in court, Govindan made it clear there was no earthly reason for Mukesh to surrender his legislative throne. Because, naturally, in the theatre of Kerala politics, innocence is assumed until a court decides otherwise, giving a damn to public opinion or the findings in its Government-appointed Hema Committee report.
What Govindan conveniently forgot - or perhaps artfully feigned amnesia about - was that not too long ago, when sexual abuse allegations surfaced against two Congress MLAs, his party was out in full force, pounding the streets and thundering demands for their resignation. But now, in Mukesh’s case, where the accusations have been pouring in like an endless monsoon, the silence is deafening, making the average Keralite doubt, and rightly so, whether hypocrisy is the new ideology.
Govindan’s desperate defence of Mukesh, complete with a roll call of over 100 MPs and MLAs facing similar charges who haven’t stepped down, does little more than lump the Left right alongside the Right—an uncomfortable reminder of the moral decay that has seeped into the very heart of the party. Essentially, he intends saying, "We’re no different from those Right-wing parties like Congress." Yet, with a straight face and a flair for irony, he continues to wave the red flag of Leftist ideology, brandishing what he imagines are theoretical justifications, nothing more than mimicking the very practices the party once condemned.
Mukesh is no stranger to scandal, with his ex-wife, a former actor herself, having aired his dirty laundry long before the Hema Committee report saw the light of day. But, of course, in the grand tradition of irony, he was still handpicked as the prized candidate for the red bastion of Kollam - leapfrogging over none other than communist stalwart and trade unionist PK Gurudasan.
Once again, Govindan cut a rather pitiful figure when it came time to announce the removal of LDF convenor EP Jayarajan - a man notorious for his “repeated lapses in caution”. Why the party turned a blind eye time and again is conveniently swept under the rug, far beyond Govindan’s realm of explanations.
Ironically, this very same Kannur leader Jayarajan has been the most loyal of lieutenants, bending over backward to defend his ‘beloved’ CM Pinarayi Vijayan, who himself is neck-deep in a quagmire of graft and nepotism. But this time, if Jayarajan’s fall from grace stems from a cozy tea session with BJP leader Prakash Javadekar, it is apparently no big deal - certainly not against party doctrine - since he is still snugly seated on the central committee.
In the grand theatre of party politics, it seems some breaches are more forgivable than others, particularly when it comes to the party’s ever-controversial MLA, PV Anwar. This is a man who has made a career out of flouting the rules, even daring to defy the courts. Yet, the party’s stance towards Anwar remains surprisingly gentle, despite his dramatic defiance of none other than his mentor, Pinarayi Vijayan. Anwar has accused top police officials - those once cozy with him - of corruption.
Crossing party limits, Anwar’s finger now points directly at Pinarayi and his police department, which he claims is under the sway of a team led by the CM’s political secretary, P Sasi, a man no stranger to sexual harassment charges himself. But fear not, for according to Govindan, all Anwar really needs is a “study class on party maxims”. Of course, this seems a bit redundant, as Anwar appears already well-versed in the party’s current, rather flexible, principles.
Long before Karl Marx ever dreamed of dialectics, it was Aristotle, that ancient philosopher, who pointed out, "Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way." Centuries later, it seems some have taken this wisdom to heart - though not quite in the way the Greek philosopher intended.
