Palakkad, 06 Oct (H.S.):The CPM’s removal of former Palakkad district secretary E N Suresh Babu has raised questions about transparency in its corrective exercise following its Assembly election defeat, amid reports linking the decision to a complaint from a woman.

The party has neither categorically rejected the reported link nor clarified whether his removal constituted disciplinary action. Its silence has fuelled questions about the nature of the complaint and how it was handled.

According to information emerging from party circles, the complaint reached the CPM between polling and the counting of votes. However, neither the state secretariat nor the state committee, of which Suresh Babu was a member, reportedly discussed it.

The party subsequently received indications that the complainant might pursue legal action after no steps were taken following the election.

The episode has also raised questions about whether the complaint should have been referred to the police. Comparisons have been drawn with KPCC president Sunny Joseph’s decision to forward an emailed complaint concerning Rahul Mamkootathil to the Director General of Police.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of the CPM state committee’s assessment that organisational corrections alone would be insufficient. The party also needed to convince the public that meaningful changes had been made.

Without explaining Suresh Babu’s removal, the leadership faces difficulty presenting the decision as evidence of that commitment.

The state secretariat is scheduled to meet on October 13. Further action could be discussed then or at a subsequent meeting after the extended district committee meetings conclude.

The CPM constituted an Internal Complaints Committee after its last party congress, but reportedly no complaints have reached it.

Referring complaints to the committee would create a formal record and provide a mechanism for examining them. Any allegations suggesting a criminal offence would also raise the question of referral to the police for investigation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman