KOZHIKODE: Central committee member and LDF convener EP Jayarajan's absence from the seminar against the Uniform Civil Code held by the CPM in Kozhikode yesterday has put the leadership on the defensive. Discomfort intensified in the CPM as the discussion shifted from the main agenda of the seminar to EP Jayarajan.

EP Jayarajan arrived in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday morning. Speaking to Kerala Kaumudi, he said that he came to attend a program of the DYFI program in which he agreed to take part two months ago. He said that not all Central Committee members are participating in the seminar in Kozhikode.

MV Govindan also expressed dismay after some people interpreted Jayarajan's boycott of the seminar as his expression of psychological detachment from the party leadership since Govindan became state secretary and member of the Politburo. Speaking in Kozhikode, Govindan said that one should ask Jayarajan about his absence from the seminar and that the LDF convenor need not be invited separately.

The controversy over EP Jayarajan broke out at a time when it is said that the constituent parties, including the CPI, are dissatisfied with the backlash for inviting the Muslim League to the seminar.

There are grumblings in the party that if EP Jayarajan could have come to yesterday's party event, he could have come to the state secretariat meeting held on Thursday. All this lends strength to the interpretation that Jayarajan's moves are deliberate.

EP Jayarajan has been absent from CPM leadership meetings for a long time citing health problems. This is after MV Govindan became state secretary and member of the Polit Bureau. However, Jayarajan continues to participate in the local programs of the party. He also used to come out defending the party in controversies related to the government, CPM, and SFI. However, his absence from leadership meetings at critical junctures is making things difficult for the leadership. Even the Left Front meeting cannot be held due to Jayarajan's absence. The absence of the LDF convener in the Raj Bhavan blockade organized by the LDF against the governor was widely discussed.