South India

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Strikes Back: Congress Leaders Named in FIR Over Suicide Case

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan retaliates against Congress with an FIR naming top leaders in a suicide case. Allegations, political motives, and legal implications dominate Wayanad politics.

Wayanad: In a politically charged move, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also serves as the state’s Home Minister, has intensified the battle between the CPI(M) and the Congress by initiating an FIR against prominent Congress leaders in connection with the alleged suicide of Wayanad cooperative bank treasurer N.M. Vijayan.

The FIR names I.C. Balakrishnan, Congress legislator from Sulthan Bathery; N.D. Appachan, former MLA and president of the Wayanad District Congress Committee; and other senior Congress leaders.

This comes after N.M. Vijayan, along with his son, was found dead on December 27, reportedly due to financial distress linked to alleged corruption within the party.

The Suicide Note and Allegations Against Congress Leaders

N.M. Vijayan left behind a detailed suicide note implicating top Congress leaders in a financial scandal involving cooperative bank appointments. The note alleges that funds were collected from various candidates for job placements, and loans were taken to repay these amounts. It explicitly named:

  • I.C. Balakrishnan,
  • N.D. Appachan,
  • K.K. Gopinathan, and other Congress leaders.

The note also directed Vijayan’s son, Vijesh, to deliver the document to the Wayanad district police chief after waiting for ten days.

Police Action and Political Retaliation

Based on the suicide note, the Wayanad police registered an FIR against the Congress leaders, triggering a political storm. Observers view this swift action as retaliation by the CPI(M) government after the Congress previously demanded accountability in the suicide case of Kannur Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu in October 2024.

In that case, P.P. Divya, CPI(M)’s Kannur District Panchayat president and a rising youth leader, faced charges of abetment to suicide. Divya resigned from her post, was briefly on the run, and eventually spent time in jail before securing bail.

Now, CM Vijayan appears to be using the same legal framework against Congress leaders, raising political stakes in Kerala.

Congress Reacts to FIR and Allegations

Reacting to the FIR, N.D. Appachan dismissed the allegations, calling them politically motivated.

“This is nothing new. We’ve seen how the Vijayan government uses police action to settle scores. My hands are clean, and I will fight these charges in court,” Appachan said.

Congress leaders have criticized the FIR as a calculated move by the CPI(M) to divert attention from its own controversies, including the Naveen Babu case, which caused significant embarrassment to the ruling party.

The Case’s Impact on Wayanad Politics

The case has already begun to reshape the political dynamics in Wayanad, a Congress stronghold. The inclusion of Balakrishnan and Appachan—key Congress figures in the district—in the FIR has created ripples across the party and the opposition bloc.

The CPI(M) and CM Vijayan are reportedly confident that the “abetment of suicide” charges used against P.P. Divya can similarly be applied to these Congress leaders, intensifying the legal and political pressure on the opposition.

Family’s Perspective: A Mixed Response

While the Congress leadership has faced criticism, Vijayan’s wife and younger son received a visit from senior Congress leaders, including former Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. The family has expressed their continued faith in Congress, complicating the narrative for the ruling CPI(M).

However, with Vijayan’s suicide note directly implicating Congress leaders, questions remain about the family’s future involvement in the case.

Key Questions Ahead

As political observers closely follow the developments, attention is on several key issues:

  1. Legal Implications: Will the Congress leaders face the same legal consequences as CPI(M)’s P.P. Divya in the Naveen Babu case?
  2. Political Fallout: How will the Congress leadership respond to this high-stakes FIR, and will it impact the party’s electoral prospects in Wayanad and beyond?
  3. Public Perception: Will voters perceive this as a genuine legal move or a politically motivated attack by the ruling CPI(M)?

Broader Political Context

This high-profile FIR is emblematic of the escalating tensions between the CPI(M) and Congress in Kerala’s politically charged environment. Both parties have accused each other of misusing power and leveraging state machinery for political gains.

The Congress, already grappling with factionalism and leadership disputes, must now counter this legal and political challenge in Wayanad, a constituency that holds symbolic importance due to its association with Rahul Gandhi

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