Pathanamthitta (Kerala), June 11 (IANS) The political future of former CPI-M MLA and Travancore Devaswom Board president A. Padmakumar appears headed for a decisive point, with the party preparing to discuss disciplinary action against him over the Sabarimala gold case controversy.
The Pathanamthitta District Committee, Padmakumar’s home district unit, has been entrusted with examining the action to be taken, and the meeting scheduled for June 15 is expected to be crucial.
The development assumes greater significance as Padmakumar, who is currently out on bail after spending time in jail following his arrest in connection with the Sabarimala gold controversy, now faces possible action from his own party.
Until now, the CPI-M had limited itself to keeping him away from party programmes.
However, the state leadership has now made it clear that the issue cannot be left without a formal organisational response.
Padmakumar had renewed his party membership only recently, but the leadership reportedly felt that the allegations surrounding the gold controversy required corrective action.
Following pressure from the state committee, references relating to the issue were brought back into the election review discussions, including a specific mention of the need to act against Padmakumar.
The timing of the move has added another intriguing dimension.
Padmakumar’s autobiography, which is reportedly in the final stages, is expected to hit the shelves soon and could create considerable political turbulence.
The former legislator is said to be chronicling his long political journey, his years as an MLA, his tenure as Devaswom Board President, and the controversies that shaped his public career.
Political circles are now watching whether strict disciplinary action by the CPI-M will push Padmakumar to break his silence.
Once considered a frontline leader of the party, Padmakumar is expected to write about the pressures he faced, the decisions he took, and the events that unfolded during his time at the Devaswom Board.
During the gold controversy, Padmakumar had referred to a ‘god-like’ senior figure, raising questions about the identity of the person he was hinting at.
There has been speculation that his autobiography may shed light on those remarks and the behind-the-scenes developments surrounding the case.
The book is also expected to revisit the politically sensitive Sabarimala women’s entry controversy, the intense protests that followed, and the challenges faced by administrators during that turbulent period.
For the CPI-M, June 15 could mark a turning point.
While the party is attempting to present the move as an organisational correction, disciplinary action against a former MLA who held a key constitutional-religious administrative post could have wider political implications.
If Padmakumar chooses to respond through his autobiography, the book may become more than a personal memoir; it could emerge as a political account capable of reopening old controversies and unsettling equations within the CPI-M, presently caught in a bind over multiple issues.
–IANS
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