Thiruvananthapuram, May 29 (IANS) Kerala politics is witnessing a dramatic political turnaround that many within the CPI(M) are already describing as a rare moment of political poetic justice.

The decision to restore the party membership of Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of former CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, after three years of political exile has exposed the rapidly changing power equations inside the party, especially in the backdrop of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) tightening its scrutiny around former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter Veena Vijayan.

What makes the development politically explosive is the widely discussed claim that Pinarayi Vijayan himself directly intervened to ensure Bineesh’s return, overriding resistance within the state leadership.

Party secretary M.V. Govindan had reportedly rejected repeated attempts to restore Bineesh’s membership despite his acquittal in the Bengaluru drug-related case in 2023.

The turning point, political observers say, came after the dramatic ED raids in Thiruvananthapuram and the violent protests that followed.

When central agencies moved against Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence and intensified scrutiny around the monthly payment controversy involving Veena Vijayan, the streets of the capital suddenly witnessed an aggressive mobilisation by CPI(M)-DYFI workers.

Many of those later accused in the attacks on ED vehicles were known to be close associates and loyalists of Bineesh Kodiyeri. Inside the party, the message was impossible to miss.

While several senior leaders reportedly kept a cautious distance, Bineesh’s network emerged as one of the strongest forces willing to physically defend the former Chief Minister and build a resistance wall against the ED.

Bineesh himself was also seen during the protests.

That spectacle appears to have emotionally and politically altered Pinarayi Vijayan’s approach.

Years ago, when Bineesh was arrested by the ED, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had been forced to publicly distance himself from his son and even temporarily step aside as party secretary to protect the government and the party.

Today, with central agencies casting a shadow over his own family, many in Kerala politics believe Pinarayi has finally understood the pain Kodiyeri went through.

The move is also being seen as a correction of past grievances.

A section within the CPI(M) had long felt that Kodiyeri’s family was unfairly sidelined after his death.

Bineesh’s return now helps consolidate powerful Kodiyeri loyalists in Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram firmly behind Pinarayi at a politically sensitive moment.

More importantly, the re-entry signals that the CPI(M) is preparing for a prolonged political confrontation with central agencies.

The leadership appears to have concluded that organisers like Bineesh, capable of mobilising cadres and street resistance, are too valuable to keep outside the party fold.

In effect, the ED raids meant to corner the former Chief Minister may have instead triggered the rise of Pinarayi Vijayan’s newest political defence fortress, built around the son of the man who once suffered the same fate.

–IANS

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