Thiruvananthapuram, 31 May(HS): P V Anvar, the dissenting CPI(M) supported MLA who quit the Kerala Legislative Assembly following disputes with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared on Saturday that his resignation from the House was because of the indifferent attitude of the Marxists towards his demands.

“The Police and Customs Department seized gold and other contraband that were brought through the Calicut International Airport from West Asian countries by my boys. It was a source of income for them. But the police and customs officials seized the goods and focused criminal cases against these carriers,” said Anvar on Saturday while addressing media persons at Malappuram.

Anvar, a former Congress leader, who joined the CPI(M) camp because he was denied a seat to contest the 2016 assembly election had been elected twice with the support of the CPI(M)-led LDF and was known as a close acolyte of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

When the Home Department posted non-Muslim police officers in Malappuram district against his wishes, Anvar was upset and he resigned as MLA. “Sujith Das and Sasidharan, the superintendents of police who were appointed by the chief minister did not pay heed to my demands and slapped criminal cases against the boys who brought in gold and other goods through Calicut International Airport. Many youngsters who had been working in West Asian countries were unable to return because their passports had been impounded. There is no point in my continuation as MLA because of these developments,” said Anvar.

He further stated that 75 per cent of the population in the district belonged to the Muslim community. “The police officers should have understood the ground realities,” he said.

Anvar’s resignation had created a furore in Nilambur, the constituency from where he was elected. The Congress-led UDF did not listen to his plea to field a person of his choice from Nilambur for the 19th June bye-poll and fielded Aryadan Shaukat of the Congress as the party’s nominee. Anvar whose hatred for Shaukat was famous created a scene following the decision of the Congress and declared that he would work for the defeat of Shaukat. Meanwhile, he declared that he would not go begging with the UDF for entry into the alliance even as an associate member.

The CPI(M) declared that M Swraj, a scion of a zamindar family in Nilambur would be the party candidate.

Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti