THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The pandemonium in the Malayalam film industry has finally taken a political turn with the CPM finding itself at a decisive juncture. Back-to-back allegations against actor-MLA M Mukesh have left both the party leadership and the Left government in a quandary.
Even as ripples continue to erupt in the industry over the Hema Committee report that unleashed the subsequent floodgate of allegations, the Left has been eager to claim credit for reportedly initiating the clean-up in this sector. Even when senior leader and Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan messed up the Ranjith fiasco, the Left was able to wind it up without much damage. But its deafening silence over mounting charges of sexual assault against its own party legislator hasn’t gone down well within the party itself.
In the wake of increasing allegations, there are demands from within the Left itself that the Kollam MLA should step down and let the law take its course. Senior CPI leader Annie Raja has openly urged the two-time MLA to resign and face an investigation. “During the investigation, he should stay away from his elected post. Otherwise, the public would doubt the credibility of the investigation,” she said.
A prominent section within the CPM too feels that Mukesh should ideally step down and face probe in line with the party position of zero tolerance of atrocities against women.
“The allegations against him are of a serious nature. Ideally, he should be kept away for the time being, thereby sending out the right message,” a senior leader told TNIE.
Even as discussions are on in the party, the leadership is not so keen on his resignation at this point in time. With one of the victims filing a complaint before the special investigation team, the party and the government will now have to take a call. “If a preliminary investigation finds any substance in the allegations, it would be ideal for him to stay away and face further investigation,” senior leader K K Shailaja said.
Even though the UDF demanded Mukesh’s resignation, the Congress won’t press for the same, as two of its own MLAs - M Vincent and Eldhose Kunnappilly - too face similar charges. However, many within the Left front feel that the party should take a tough call to win back the people’s trust.
Political commentators observed that it was time the CPM broke its silence over Mukesh.
“The party will have to soon take a public stance in this regard and the government should follow suit. Due to larger political ramifications, the party may not be quite keen to face another by-election. In that case, it should at least have openly censured him or distanced itself from the issue. People should know what’s the CPM’s position on such a sensitive issue, especially since the Left has a known position over gender justice,” said Left observer J Prabhash.
With two Assembly bypolls around the corner, party insiders fear that such allegations against the two-time MLA and the party’s silence could cost the CPM dearly. Keeping him away will not just be a face-saver, but could end up as a game-changer for the CPM in the current scenario.
