Factionalism in Congress exposed by alleged suicides in Wayanad

Casting a shadow over the ongoing visit of All India Congress Committee general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to her constituency, the recent suicides of at least two Congress leaders in the district appear to have exposed the “deep-rooted factionalism and betrayal” in the party.

Last week, local party leader Jose Nelledam died, allegedly by suicide, at Mullankolly. This was followed by an alleged suicide attempt by Padmaja, the daughter-in-law of former District Congress Committee treasurer N.M. Vijayan. The attempt was reportedly made hours after she told the media that the party had promised financial assistance to cover the substantial debts her father-in-law had incurred to protect the interests of other party leaders. Vijayan and his son Jijesh had allegedly attempted suicide on December 25 last year and died two days later.

Ms. Padmaja released an audio clip, which she claimed was that of senior party leader Thiruvanachoor Radhakrishnan, who had headed the committee set up by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) to probe the circumstances leading to Vijayan’s death. The audio clip, reportedly that of Mr. Radhakrishnan, is critical of the party leadership for reneging on its promise to Vijayan’s family.

Ms. Padmaja has threatened to go on a hunger strike in front of the KPCC office demanding justice. She also said that she would raise the matter with the Chief Minister.

However, the party leadership denied her claim regarding any agreement with Vijayan’s family. KPCC president Sunny Joseph said that the party had done everything possible for the family but was not in a position to meet all its demands.

In a video that reportedly surfaced after his death, Nelledam, a party leader from Mullamkolly, alleged that he was being targeted with false allegations in connection with the arrest of another party leader, Kanattumalayil Thankachan, from whose house liquor and explosives were allegedly seized. Thankachan was released 17 days later when it was discovered that the contraband had been planted by another party worker.

Although Ms. Vadra’s visit was intended to project party solidarity, the State leadership is now facing flak for its failure to resolve the crises.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] termed the Congress as undemocratic, saying that the “broken promises” demonstrated a leadership mired in conflict and scandal. M.V. Jayarajan, a member of the CPI(M) State secretariat, has already announced that the party is willing to take over the debts of Vijayan’s family.