
Something is rotten within the Congress in Priyanka Gandhi’s constituency Wayanad. N M Vijayan, who was treasurer of the district Congress committee when both Priyanka and her brother got elected from there, has died by suicide after killing his differently-abled son last month.
Before his death, Vijayan had written six letters - one addressing his other son and the rest to various Congress leaders and the police. In the letters, Vijayan, who had been a fulltime party worker for half a century, indicated that he was compelled to take his life because of corruption in the party. He claimed that some Congress leaders in Wayanad had been taking bribes through Vijayan for giving jobs in cooperative banks linked to the party.
When the party failed to give jobs to some who had shelled out lakhs, Vijayan took it upon himself to pay back as other leaders refused to help. He even mortgaged his property as he felt he was answerable. In his last note, Vijayan made it clear that the Kerala Congress leadership was aware of all this.
The deaths triggered a controversy even though the state Congress leadership initially feigned ignorance. The family had kept quiet as Vijayan had requested them to give the party 10 days to settle the issue. But as the leadership continued to show apathy, his son went public. That’s when the state leadership sprang into action and offered support, though the damage was done.
Cases have been registered against the leaders named in Vijayan’s letters. Though the district Congress president and MLA managed to get anticipatory bail, they are being questioned by the police.
The incident should push the Congress high command to take affairs of their Kerala unit more seriously if they are to retain a grip over the state, one of its last bastions. If the party gets mired in corruption even when it is out of power, how will it be able to evoke public trust?
The incident also highlights what is ailing with the state’s cooperative banks, as every political party is using them as a fiefdom to milk for benefits. All parties must come together if they are to save the sector. They must also ensure that such tragedies are not repeated.