KANNUR: Flex boards glorifying senior CPM leader P Jayarajan have reappeared in the party strongholds of Kakkoth and RV Metta, stirring fresh speculation about internal dissent and lingering support for the veteran leader.
The boards, put up by a group calling itself ‘Red Young’s Kakkoth’, describe Jayarajan as “a comrade in the people’s minds, just as God exists both in a pillar and in a speck of rust”. Their reemergence comes in the wake of growing frustration among his supporters after his exclusion from the CPM state secretariat and now from the central committee.
Many had expected Jayarajan to be inducted into the secretariat following the recent state conference, but the party leadership opted not to elevate him. With Jayarajan now 72, and the CPM enforcing an age limit for leadership roles, his chances of returning to top-level positions appear increasingly slim.
The leadership reportedly took a cautious approach, anticipating backlash — especially on social media — over his omission. That backlash partially materialised when Jayarajan’s son, Jain Raj, posted a pointed message on WhatsApp following the announcement of the new secretariat list. His status featured a past social media post by state secretariat member M Swaraj, originally made during the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid verdict, which read: “Did you innocent people actually expect a different verdict in this modern-day India?” The status was widely interpreted as a veiled critique of the party’s decision, intensifying tensions within the CPM ranks. Although some speculated that Jayarajan might be accommodated in the central committee despite being left out of the state committee, that hope too was dashed, further angering his loyalists.
Jayarajan has served on the CPM state committee for 27 years. However, by the next party conferences in 2028, he will be 75, rendering him ineligible for leadership roles under current party norms. His exclusion is believed to be linked to unease within the party over some of his past controversial remarks, which reportedly drew criticism from both state and district-level leaders.