Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI state executive on Friday constituted a three-member commission to inquire into the complaints related to lathicharge in Ernakulam district which had triggered a major controversy within the party.
Besides the incident of lathicharge in which Muvattupuzha MLA Eldoh Abraham sustained injuries along with other party workers, the commission comprising K.P. Rajendran, V. Chamunny and P.P. Suneer will also probe the circumstances that led to change of protest march venue from Njarackal CI office to Ernakulam range DIG office.
A section of leaders felt that there was a lapse on the part of the district committee in taking the decision to take out the march to the DIG office. The party leadership had given permission for taking out march to the Njarackal CI office as it was a local issue.
However when the Ernakulam district leadership decided to shift the march to DIG office, the action was seen as protest against senior officer and home department. The commission will also look into the statements made by various leaders including CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran after the agitation.
At the meeting, a section of leaders criticised the soft stand taken by Mr Rajendran on the lathicharge issue. Assistant secretary Sathyan Mokeri reportedly said the secretary could have issued a strong statement against the incident early on.
However, the CPI state secretary clarified that he was attending a function along with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan when the lathicharge took place in Ernakulam. So when mediapersons sought his reaction after the programme, the CPI leader told them that he was not aware of the incident. The news channels immediately flashed the news “Kanam declines to comment on lathicharge.”
He said on returning to office he collected all details and called up the Chief Minister to express the party’s resentment. He said it was because of his intervention that the Chief Minister ordered a magisterial inquiry into the lathicharge.
The CPI state secretary said the Ernakulam leadership had not informed him about the incident and it was only after he called them up that the information was passed on.
A section of leaders criticised former MP C.N. Jayadevan and senior leader K.E. Ismail stating that they should have avoided public statements against the leadership on the lathicharge issue.
