PV Anvar may have signed up for a daredevil gamble

Apology to Satheesan part of move to placate leader, facilitate his UDF entry.
P V Anvar conducts a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday to announce his resignation as Nilambur MLA
P V Anvar conducts a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday to announce his resignation as Nilambur MLAPhoto | Vincent Pulickal
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On Monday, it was obvious to one and all that P V Anvar was sending out desperate signals as a political asylum seeker, ready to clutch at any straw held out to him by the only camp that may even consider having him on board at the moment.

After resigning the Nilambur seat, the now former MLA seems to be tripping himself up over a flurry of apologies, offers of unconditional support and repeated clarifications. Does the rebel leader sense an impending political Waterloo, is a question being now asked by many.

Yet, a closer reading of the ground situation will reveal that Anvar has signed in for a daredevil gamble, a political risk worth taking at this juncture. It’s evident that the unconditional apology to V D Satheesan was part of a deliberate move to placate the Congress leader, to facilitate his entry into the opposition UDF camp.

That he suddenly seems keen to take up the cause of those at the receiving end of recent human-wildlife conflicts is evidently a ploy to carve out a new political constituency. Already, Anvar has substantial influence within the Muslim community. And, he now seems keen to add high-range residents to the equation.

P V Anvar conducts a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday to announce his resignation as Nilambur MLA
PV Anwar resigns as Nilambur MLA after joining TMC; says countdown of Pinarayi-led government 'starts today'

It has become more or less clear that Anvar’s entry into the UDF may not as smooth as he intends. While offering unconditional support to the UDF for the Nilambur by-election, Anvar also chose to bait the Opposition, using V S Joy. A section within the Congress is definitely unhappy, and amused at the fact that Anvar has started to dictate terms, even as his induction into the front hangs in limbo. He has succeeded in placing the Congress in a peculiar situation, wherein the party would be forced to choose between Aryadan Shoukath and Joy.

It’s no secret that Anvar, who seems a spent force, has no other option, but to join the UDF. But he hopes to retain his bargaining power even in the event of making alternative political bedfellows. By offering Nilambur, he plans to aid the UDF in wresting the LDF’s sitting seat on the final lap of the Pinarayi government’s second tenure.

Such a morale booster to the UDF would not only prove him integral to the front, but help him command respect within the ranks. This would then obviously pave the way for his electoral dreams in the 2026 assembly election. There are already rumours of him eyeing the Thavanoor seat in the election.

Even as he severed ties with the LDF, Anvar did not miss the opportunity to hurl a parting shot at the ruling front. His claim that he was directed by a section within the CPM to target Pinarayi’s two trusted lieutenants -- P Sasi and M R Ajith Kumar -- is sure to impact the party’s internal politics in the long run, especially with party conferences currently under way. He has thereby created an impression that both Pinarayi and CPM have something to hide.

Whether Anvar has actually succeeded in creating a rift within the Left, and whether the UDF would actually fall for his bait are intriguing questions that may not necessarily offer easy answers.

UDF to launch rally in high ranges highlighting farmers’ issues

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as P V Anvar is set to play the trump card of high-range politics by forming alliances with the Christian community and various farmers' groups, in a swift act to keep its ground intact, the UDF announced a protest campaign rally in the high ranges.

The rally will be held from January 27 to February 5 under the leadership of Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. The rally will demand the repealing of the Forest Amendment Bill, protecting farmers and people from the attack of wild animals, resolving the crisis in the agriculture sector, and the Union government’s intervention in the buffer zone issue.

Satheesan accepts Anvar’s apology over corruption allegations

KALPETTA: Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan has accepted Anvar’s apology over the corruption allegations he had raised against the former in the assembly. Anvar clarified that he made the allegations against the Congress leader at the behest of P Sasi, the chief minister’s political secretary, and expressed regret over his actions. Accepting the apology, Satheesan said in Wayanad that the allegations were politically motivated.

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