Thiruvananthapuram, April 11 There was never a doubt about the outcome of the 23rd CPI-M Party Congress as it was scripted, produced and directed by none other than Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and everything went just 'as what the doctor ordered'.
The party got the much needed boost, especially Vijayan, who has stamped his authority, much above that of party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who got a third and final term of three years.
The five day mega event was held at Vijayan's home turf Kannur and concluded with a mammoth rally, which incidentally signalled that all the Covid protocols have been removed.
Another highlight was that Vijayan was the only person who got an exemption in age-limit conditions that the party has decided those who cross 75 years should make way for others to party posts. Vijayan is 76 years old now.
The stamp of Vijayan was everywhere during the event and he played his cards well. There was not even a whimper of protest from any quarters.
When it came to filling up places at the central committee and the politburo, again Vijayan had full control. Speculations were there about senior party veterans Elamaram Kareem or A.K. Balan getting into the politburo, but this did not happen, and instead Vijayan's present close aide A. Vijayaraghavan got the plum promotion from the central committee to the politburo.
Vijayaraghavan's wife, a first time legislator R.Bindhu, a college teacher by profession, much to the surprise of many, also got a cabinet post of Minister of Higher Education.
Vijayan played his cards well when it came to the new inductees to the central committee from Kerala. He brought in two of his cabinet colleagues P. Rajeev and K.N. Balagopal, both in their mid fifties and P. Sathi Devi and C.S. Sujatha.
Sathi Devi is presently the chairperson of the Kerala State Women's Commission and also the sister of hugely popular CPI-M leader from Kannur, A.P. Jayarajan, presently for some unknown reason is not in the good books of Vijayan now.
Likewise Sujatha, for a while has been kept under check for her allegiance to V.S. Achuthanandan, when Vijayan and the veteran were in loggerheads for long.
A media critic on condition of anonymity said, "The biggest surprise of Vijayan came when many expected that his cabinet minister son-in-law P.A. Mohammed Riyas would be inducted into the central committee, but that was his master stroke, when he did not do it. Had he done it, tongues would have wagged and all the glory of what he achieved would have disappeared. He is now become the supreme commander of the party an invisible post, much above that of the general secretary," said the critic who did not wish to be identified, and added, "Can a party like the Congress do anything like this without washing dirty linen in public and that's why the CPI-M is firm in Kerala."
Now, with the curtains down on the party's important event, Vijayan will continue his move forward and all eyes are on how he will be handling the K-Rail project, which is under heavy fire from various quarters.
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