Fissures emerge in CPI(M) over appointment of Ravada Chandrasekhar as new SPC

Thiruvananthapuram, June 30 Soon after news surfaced that the Pinarayi Vijayan government has cleared the name of Ravada Chandrasekhar as the new State Police Chief (SPC), a senior CPI(M) leader, P. Jayarajan, known for his cryptic remarks said it was for the government to explain why they decided on Ravada.

P. Jayarajan's remark comes in the wake of the fact that Ravada Chandrasekhar's early years in the police force were marked by controversy.

In 1994, while serving in Kannur, he led a police operation at Kuthuparambu to disperse a protest by DYFI, the youth wing of the CPI(M).

The firing resulted in the deaths of five DYFI activists who were demonstrating against then state Minister, M.V. Raghavan.

The incident left a lasting impact on Kerala’s political discourse, especially given Raghavan's tumultuous relationship with the CPI(M).

Raghavan, once a prominent CPI(M) leader and mentor to the present Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was expelled from the party in 1985 after attempting to forge ties with the Indian Union Muslim League and Kerala Congress.

He subsequently founded his own party and aligned with the Congress-led UDF.

Since then, the CPI(M) has consistently invoked the Kuthuparambu firing to rally its base and target the Congress, particularly the K. Karunakaran-led government that was in power at the time.

Speaking to the media, Jayarajan, a former legislator considered a hugely popular party leader in Kannur, said the state government decided this based on the papers before them.

“Of the three names in the list, from which the state government had to choose, two of them, Ravada and Nitin Agarwal while on duty in Thalassery were in the news for their brutal attack on CPI(M) workers,” said Jayarajan.

“The government decides on merit,” said Jayarajan dropping enough hints that there are many in the party who might not be pleased with the appointment.

Incidentally, there was a third name in the list that CM Vijayan was given by the UPSC and it was that of Yogesh Gupta.

Jayarajan had a cryptic reply when he was asked why Gupta was not chosen, he said, “Go ask the government.”

Popular critic who hails from Kannur, Umesh Babu said everyone knows that the CPI(M) shifts positions on issues.

“Of late, Jayarajan doesn’t lose any chance to take potshots, however, he ensures that he does not go out of the limits of party discipline. Yogesh Gupta has done nothing but the CPI(M) has been trying to needle him as he is known for his impeccable track record in fighting corruption. If in the past, the CPI(M) was against the two (Ravada and Agarwal) now they are not, but are against Gupta,” said Babu.

Leader of Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, said the CPI(M) has to apologise as everyone knows how they whip up passions over the Kuthuparambu firing.

Meanwhile, at the online Cabinet meeting, when the Chief Secretary read out the three names, CM Vijayan after explaining the credentials of the three, said, "Of the three, Ravada is better" and soon his name was cleared by the Cabinet.

CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan was more diplomatic and said that even though Ravada was present on that day, a subsequent probe by a judge into the firing had given him a clean chit.

The Cabinet also approved the name of H. Venkatesh to take over as incharge SPC from the retiring Shaikh Darvesh Saheb as Ravada is unlikely to take the baton on Monday evening.

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