Gold smuggling: CPM leaders line up to disown criminals
KOZHIKODE: As names of more CPM and DYFI leaders are coming out in connection with Karipur gold smuggling-cum-quotation case, the party has switched to face-saving mode. Besides Kannur district secretary M V Jayarajan disowning those involved in criminal cases, Excise Minister and central committee member M V Govindan and DYFI Kannur district secretary M Shajar also came out against ‘criminals masquerading as party leaders’.
The key accused in the Karipur gold smuggling case, according to the Customs, is Arjun Ayanki, a former DYFI unit president. The owner of the car in which Arjun had allegedly travelled to Karipur is C Sajesh, DYFI Chembilode North village secretary and CPM branch committee member. Akash Thillankeri, another CPM cyber warrior and the key accused in the murder of Youth Congress leader Suhaib in 2018 is learned to be a close friend of Arjun and all these party connections have put the CPM on backfoot.
Fiery cyber warriors
Though CPM disowned Arjun Ayanki after he got involved in the gold smuggling case, he had long been a cyber warrior of the party with 6.6 K followers on Facebook. He had been defending the Left government throughout as well as fiercely attacking political opponents. In his Facebook page, Ayanki had hurled filthy language against Rahul Gandhi, MP, which was hailed by thousands of exuberant comrades. The disowning comes only at a point when such cyber warriors are framed in criminal cases.
“This is generational shift among the criminals who enjoy party protection. Earlier, those involved in criminal activities for the party found their sources of income as protectors of illegal quarrying or seizure agents of financiers or liquor smugglers from Mahe. They were largely invisible and operated in local areas. But their new generation counterparts are highly ambitious. They will go any extent, be it gold smuggling or quotation gang. They travel in high-end vehicles and lead a luxury life,” said K C Umesh Babu, who keenly observes Left politics.
THERE ARE MORE, SAYS SHAJAR
Speaking to TNIE, DYFI Kannur district secretary M Shajar said that Arjun Ayanki is the leader of a criminal gang and there are more such members disguising as party workers in cyberspace. “DYFI had conducted a campaign in February itself to expose such criminals posing as party cyber warriors. We could not name them then as their names were not involved in any case,” he said.