A meeting of the Ernakulam district committee of the Communist Party of India (CPI) held here on Wednesday decided to remove P. Raju, former district secretary, from all elected posts on charge of alleged financial irregularities.
He has been told to work at the Kedamangalam branch under the Ezhikkara local committee. M.D. Nixon, former district treasurer, has been demoted to the Kalamassery mandalam committee level. The district committee stated that Mr. Raju had committed financial irregularities while serving as district secretary of the party. Mr. Nixon, who contested against Congress leader V.D. Satheesan in North Paravur in the Assembly elections held in 2021, was demoted to the mandalam committee level alleging that he was also party to the financial irregularities.
The disciplinary action has re-ignited the factionalism in the district unit of the party. Mr. Raju was considered a prominent leader of the faction that opposed the official faction led by the late CPI State Secretary Kanam Rajendran. The rebel faction was replaced by the official group in the election to the district committee. K.M. Dinakaran, who was considered close to Kanam Rajendran, was elected district secretary in August 2022.
Reacting to the decision to expel him from all key posts in the party, Mr. Raju alleged that he was a victim of factionalism in the party. “They are alleging irregularities while ignoring the fact that the income and expenditure statement had been approved at the district meet of the party. The State council had appointed a former bank employee to verify it after the newly-elected committee alleged irregularities. The decision to demote me was taken before the verification report was considered by the State council,” he alleged. Mr. Nixon was not available for comment.
