The reference is to the CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan stepping down from the top party post on health grounds.

The party secretary’s exit should have come immediately after the arrest of his younger son Bineesh Kodiyeri in a money laundering case related to a drug trafficking ring. Kodiyeri would have sent a strong message by stepping down accepting moral responsibility. He would have also enhanced his stature if he had done so. By delaying his decision, Kodiyeri lost a golden chance to redeem his own reputation and that of the party. A classic case of timing gone terribly wrong for the CPI-M.

An earlier exit would have served another purpose, too. It would have deprived the opposition parties of a powerful propaganda plank. Kodiyeri’s failure to take time by the forelock has armed the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP with a potent weapon to belabour him and the party.

Moreover, the reason he has advanced for quitting the top party post is not fully convincing. The ostensible reason is that Kodiyeri applied for leave for further treatment of his illness. The party readily granted him leave.

It is, however, clear that he stepped down because of the incarceration of his son in a Bangalore jail. He should have had the moral courage to state that the ‘resignation’ is for two reasons: the imprisonment of his son and the need for medical treatment of his ailment.

By deferring his decision, Kodiyeri also exposed himself to the criticism that the party is practising double standards when it comes to punishing the kin of party leaders. There have been instances of the party punishing junior leaders for the wrongdoings of their offspring. The same yardstick should have been applied in the case of Bineesh as well. Refusal to do that diminished his stature and credibility.

Of course, the opposition would leverage the Kodiyeri episode to its advantage in the local bodies elections.

The CPI-M would find it hard to explain the turn of events leading to the departure of Kodiyeri. If he had quit on moral grounds, the party could have easily blunted the edge of the opposition’s criticism. Unfortunately, that was not to be. The lapse could prove costly for the CPI-M and the Left Democratic Front(LDF) Government it heads in political as well as electoral terms.

As if this was not enough, the party made a big mistake in choosing Kodiyeri’s successor. It would have been better had the party named either MV Govindan or MA Baby as the party in charge. Both have better credentials for the job than A. Vijayaraghavan who has taken over as the party secretary. It would be a Herculean task for Vijayaraghavan to lead the party and the LDF to victory in the local bodies polls. The reason: he simply does not have it in him to take the LDF the winning post in the immediate electoral race. The man had landed himself in a number of controversies in the recent past to the acute embarrassment of the party. His only credentials for the top job seems to be that he is a staunch loyalist of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The Kodiyeri episode is notable for another thing. For the first time in 28 years, the top party post has gone to a leader who does not belong to the powerful Kannur lobby. VS Achuthanandan was the last non-Kannur leader to hold the top party post. The naming of A Vijayaraghavan as the new party secretary could be construed as a pointer to the shape of things to come in the future. It could also be interpreted as the beginning of the end of the Kannur lobby’s domination of the party organisation. (IPA Service)