Amid controversies over his sons, Bineesh and Binoy, CPI (M) Secretary of State Kodiyeri Balakrishnan resigned from office on Friday. Balakrishnan informed the state secretariat that he will stay away from the post of party secretary “for the treatment of his long illness.” His extended leave request has been approved, but it is not yet clear how long he will remain absent. The leader was in the United States for three weeks for his treatment in January.
LDF Convener and former MP A Vijayaraghavan has been in charge of party affairs. He will temporarily hold the position of Secretary of State.
The former Minister of State from Kannur leaves the most powerful position of the party in his fort, which he has held since 2015, three days before his 68th birthday.
During the years 2001–2006 and 2011–2016, Balakrishnan was the deputy leader of CPI (M) and was Minister of Internal Affairs and Tourism in the VS Achuthanandan Ministry from 2006 to 2011.
His career suffered a setback with the recent controversies of his sons, Bineesh and Binoy. The brothers have found their names tangled in cases ranging from sexual abuse to financial fraud to drug trafficking.
ED arrested Bineesh in a drug case in Bengaluru after three hours of questioning. He is known for his connection to Mohammed Anoop of Bengaluru, accused in a drug trafficking case. Now he is being held in a Bengaluru jail for his alleged funding of a drug case.
Her eldest son, Binoy, was charged with rape in a complaint filed by a Mumbai woman who was a bar dancer in the United Arab Emirates. She alleged that Binoy had gotten her pregnant after sexually abusing her by promising her marriage and then cheating on her. A Mumbai court had ordered a DNA test to prove the child’s paternity, the results of which have been pending for more than two years.
Binoy had also faced a travel ban imposed by the United Arab Emirates in 2018 following a claim of a 13 million rupee financial fraud brought by a sponsor of a Dubai-based company. Although the case was settled, the source of the funds to settle the case is still unclear.
Kerala has four members on the Party Politburo, the party’s highest decision-making body, including Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Chief Minister Pinaryi Vijayan. Then comes MA Baby, 66, and S Ramachandran Pillai, 82.
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