He (M M Lawrence) was always recognized, both within and outside the Communist Party, as a leader who stood firmly for the working class. However, that ideology no longer seems to hold the same significance within today’s party. Lawrence was raised as a leader, following the Edappally police station attack, which was orchestrated to rescue two comrades, N K Madhavan and Varuthootty. Incidentally, N K Madhavan is my father. During that time, Lawrence and several other leaders were disciples of the ‘Ranadive Thesis,’ a strategy proposed by then Communist Party general secretary B T Ranadive, which aimed to overthrow the ruling system and establish a government under the Communist Party.
From what I clearly remember, the incident occurred during the All India Railway strike. At that time, many who were arrested rarely returned without severe injuries, if they returned at all. There were widespread reports that one of the detainees had died due to police brutality. In response, the four-men suicide squad aligned with the Ranadive Thesis comprising K C Mathew, M M Lawrence, Vadakkoot Vishwanathan Menon, and K U Dasan, decided to attack the police station and take control of it.
Unfortunately, two policemen lost their lives in the attack, and the detainees were not rescued. Following this, the police retaliated by indiscriminately assaulting people walking on the streets, especially those suspected of having communist ties. Ironically, the violence fuelled the growth of communism in the area, and Lawrence emerged as a political leader, though few are aware of these events today. Later, he was sidelined due to internal conflicts in the party, largely because of his support to the CITU faction. His involvement in labour welfare issues, such as opposing land acquisitions by the Lulu Group for its mall and the Grand Hyatt’s land lease, remains noteworthy.
In addition to the connection with my father, and as a family friend, I developed a close bond with him (Lawrence) during my studies in Maharashtra. I was also actively involved in his election campaign and the related efforts when he ran for and won the Idukki Lok Sabha constituency.
(As told to Abdul Nazer M A)