Probe Against Raveendran Is Politically Haunting CPM In Kerala
Probe against Raveendran is Politically haunting CPM In Kerala. Raveendran is behind Sivashankar and Bineesh; The government and the CPM are in the throes of a political crisis.
Subsequent growth has been staggering. Raveendran PA, who started as an aide to the leaders, grew up to be the Assistant Private Secretary and from there the head of the Chief Minister’s Office.
Thiruvananthapuram: The probe against CM Raveendran is more politically haunting the CPM than the arrest of M Sivasankar. The CPM was quick to say that it was not responsible for Shivshankar.
In the case of Raveendran, it cannot. Raveendran is an influential person in the office of the Chief Minister and in the party and is loyal to the leaders. His track record is a testament to that.
The summoning of Shivshankar for questioning was expected by the CPM centers.
This is because the day after Shivshankar’s suspension, the Chief Minister had hinted at a meeting with top party leaders that another person in his office might be trapped. CM Raveendran was aware of the depth of his relationship with Shivshankar.
But the CPM and the CM cannot dismiss Raveendran as easily as they rejected Sivashankar. Because CM Raveendran’s is a political appointment.
For four decades, the CPM has been a constant presence in the personal staff, both in government and in opposition. Raveendran came to the capital from Onchiyam in the early eighties as an employee of the AKG Center.
Subsequent growth has been staggering. Raveendran PA, who started as an aide to the leaders, grew up to be the Assistant Private Secretary and from there the head of the Chief Minister’s Office.
Raveendran was Kodiyeri’s Additional Private Secretary when he was a minister.
When VS Achuthanandan became the Leader of the Opposition in 2011, Raveendran became the Additional Private Secretary, overcoming VS’s opposition.
Raveendran also played a key role in bringing Shiv Shankar closer to the Chief Minister. With the arrival of the Chief Minister in the office, the relationship between Sivashankar and Raveendran grew.
It is this closeness that has now cast doubt on Raveendran. After Shivshankar and Bineesh Kodiyeri, Raveendran’s being on the hit list of central agencies is sure to deepen the crisis in the CPM.