Demoting Divya: CPM's strategy to save face

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been assessed that the CPM Kannur district committee's decision to demote PP Divya to the branch committee was due to by-election pressure. It is learnt that the decision to demote Divya to the branch committee was taken on the instructions of the state leadership at an emergency district committee meeting held on the eve of the Thalassery sessions court's verdict on the bail plea. The aim was to establish that the party had no role in the circumstances in which Divya got bail.

As a weapon in the court for bail, Divya's lawyer mainly used the controversial statement given by the district collector to the police that Naveen Babu had admitted that he had made a "mistake". The government is not ready to replace the accused district collector. The police did not register a case against Prashanth, who obtained NOC for a petrol pump while he was a government employee. Though it was proved that the complaint allegedly sent by Prashanth to the chief minister's office alleging that Naveen Babu had taken a bribe had his fake signature, the prosecution did not point out this in the court and the police did not make Prashanth an accused in the case against Divya. Legal experts assess that it was these circumstances that turned out to be in Divya's favour.

The court's statement in the judgment that the prosecution was not able to prove that further custody of Divya is needed, strengthened the suspicion. The opposition alleges that the prosecution colluded in favour of the accused.

High possibility of comeback

Party men also feel that Divya may return to the top positions of the party when the controversies subside. State secretary MV Govindan's statement that Divya is a good party cadre and that she made a mistake is proof of this. It is only unlikely that there will be a move to field Divya in a safe seat in Kannur and make her win in the next assembly elections.

Backfired in Palakkad

The trolley bag operation conducted by the party in Palakkad, where by-elections are being held, to divert people's attention from the Divya controversy, has also failed. The strategy was to implicate the Congress in the black money case after BJP.

However, the violation of the law by the police in the middle of the night at the hotel and the release of CCTV footage by the CPM instead of the police had negaitve effect. Black money could not be found in the raids conducted, including in the rooms of women leaders. The Congress alleged that CPM-BJP activists came together and confronted them. CPM state committee member NN Krishnadas's open statement that political issues should be made a campaign issue instead of going after the trolley bag and the district secretary's refusal to accept it highlights the differences in the party.