Kodiyeri Balakrishnan seeks leave from CPM Kerala secretary post

The decision came close on the heels of his son Bineesh Kodiyeri being arrested by ED over drug trafficking

Kerala CPM secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has taken leave from the post close on the heels of his son Bineesh Kodiyeri being held by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with Bengaluru drug trafficking case.

CPM's official version is that Kodiyeri sought leave for follow-up medical treatment and the party state committee allowed it. Left Democratic Front convenor A Vijayaraghavan would hold the charge of the state secretary, said a CPM statement.

The fresh move has mounted pressure on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as his personal staff members were also facing serious charges. Opposition Congress demanded the resignation of Vijayan taking moral responsibility of the unlawful acts of his personal staff members.

Even as Balakrishnan, who is also a politburo member, so far distanced himself from the serious allegations against his son and senior party leaders, including general secretary Sitaram Yechury, maintained that there was no reason for Balakrishnan to quit the secretary post owing to allegations against his son, there were differences with in the party on Balakrishnan continuing as secretary especially since the local body and Assembly polls are approaching. The Assembly polls that are hardly five months away is more crucial for the CPM as Kerala is the lone state where the party is in power. Hence the decision of Balakrishnan could be seen only as an attempt to protect the party's image.

However, CPM leaders Vijayaraghavan and M V Govindan were maintaining that Balakrishnan's resignation had no connection with the case against his son but only since he required follow-up treatment.

Balakrishnan had availed leave from party secretary post last year also for treatment in the US. But he later returned to party secretary post and was reported to have regained health and was quite actively involved in politics.

Balakrishnan has been a close confidant of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and a key person of the CPM's powerful Kannur lobby. Hence the set back to Balakrishnan would be obviously a setback to Vijayan as well as the Kannur lobby. He was serving as party secretary since 2015. He also served as home minister in Kerala earlier. Vijayaraghavan, who is from Malappuram district and a former Rajya Sabha MP, was given the charge of secretary owing to his proximity with Vijayan and Balakrishnan, said sources.

Over these years, allegations against sons often put Balakrishnan in a tight spot. Bineesh, who is the younger, son earlier faced allegations of nexus with shady persons. His links with the Bengaluru drug racket surfaced after Anoop Muhammed held by the NCB revealed about Bineesh's financial support to him. Subsequently the ED arrested Bineesh and also raided his house in Thiruvananthapuram where Balakrishnan even used to stay till recently.

Balakrishnan's elder son Binoy faced allegations of cheating a Mumbai-settled woman, who was a former bar dancer in UAE, by impregnated her after sexually abusing by promising to marry. A Mumbai court ordered a DNA test to prove paternity of the child, which was still pending. He had also faced a Rs. 13 crore financial fraud complaint by the sponsor of a Dubai-based firm. While the case was settled, questions were raised by opposition over the source of the funds used to settling the case, which were also remaining unanswered.