Pinarayi Vijayan
Pinarayi Vijayan | |
|---|---|
| പിണറായി വിജയൻ | |
 | |
| Member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) | |
| Assumed office 24 March 2002 | |
| Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Kerala State Committee | |
| In office 25 September 1998 – 23 February 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Chadayan Govindan |
| Succeeded by | Kodiyeri Balakrishnan |
| Minister of Electricity, Kerala state | |
| In office 1996–1998 | |
| Preceded by | G. Karthikeyan |
| Succeeded by | S. Sharma |
| Minister of Co-operatives, Kerala state | |
| In office 1996–1998 | |
| Preceded by | M. V. Raghavan |
| Succeeded by | S. Sharma |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 March 1944 Pinarayi, Kannur district |
| Political party | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
| Spouse | Kamala |
| Children | Vivek Kiran Veena |
| Residence(s) | Pinarayi, Kerala |
| Alma mater | Government Brennen College, Thalassery |
Pinarayi Vijayan (Template:Lang-ml) (born 21 March 1944) is an Indian politician and a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He was Secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) from 1998 to 2015. He was the longest serving secretary in the party's history. He also served in the government of Kerala as Minister of Electric Power and Cooperatives from 1996 to 1998. Pinarayi Vijayan is contesting the 2016 Kerala legislative assembly election as the CPI(M) candidate from the Dharmadom constituency.
Early life and education
He was born on 21 March 1944 in a poor family in Pinarayi in Kannur district.[1] He is married to Kamala and has two children, Veena & Vivek. After passing out of school, he worked as a handloom weaver for a year before joining for Pre–university course in the Government Brennen College, Thalassery. Subsequently, he completed his degree course from the same college.[2][citation needed]
Political career
Pinarayi Vijayan entered politics through student union activities at Govt Brennen College, Thalassery and eventually joined the Communist Party in 1964. Vijayan became Kannur district secretary of the Kerala Students Federation (KSF), which later became the Students Federation of India (SFI). He went on to become the state secretary and subsequently the state president of KSF. He then moved on to Kerala State Youth Federation (KSYF), which later became the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). He became the president of the state committee. During that period, when communists in Kerala were organising the political activities from different hide-outs, Pinarayi Vijayan was imprisoned for one and a half years.
Later he was elected as the president of the Kerala state co-operative bank. During the emergency, he was arrested and tortured by police. He became the Kannur district secretary of the CPI(M) when M.V. Raghavan left the party over the ‘alternative document' row. Within three years, he became a member of the State secretariat. He got elected to the Assembly in 1970, 1977 and 1991 from Koothuparamba and in 1996 from Payyannur. He was the Minister for Electric power and Co-operatives in the E.K. Nayanar ministry from 1996 to 1998. In 1998, he became the state secretary of the CPI(M), following the death of the incumbent Chadayan Govindan. He was elected to the politburo of CPI(M) in 2002.[2]
On 26 May 2007 the CPI(M) suspended Pinarayi Vijayan and V. S. Achuthanandan from the politburo for their public remarks on each other. Pinarayi was reinstated into the Politburo later.[3]
Positions held
- Was the state president and secretary of Kerala Student's Federation and president of Kerala State Youth Federation .
- Served as president of Kerala State Co-operative Bank
- Elected to Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1970, 1977, 1991 and 1996.
- Served as minister in Kerala government between 1996 and 1998.
- Secretary of the Kerala state committee of the CPI(M) between 1998 and 2015.
- Member of the CPI(M) politburo from 2002.
| Election Victories | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Constituency | Closest rival | Majority (votes) | |
| 1970 | Koothuparamba | Thayath Raghavan (PSP) | 743 | |
| 1977 | Koothuparamba | Abdulkadar (RSP) | 4401 | |
| 1991 | Koothuparamba | P. Ramakrishnan (INC) | 12,960 | |
| 1996 | Payyannur | K. N. Kannoth (INC) | 28,078 | |
SNC Lavalin allegation and acquittal
The SNC Lavalin controversy in Kerala was a major allegation that rocked Kerala politics. The Controller and Auditor General of India report had stated that the deal Vijayan had struck as electricity minister in 1998 with Lavalin, a Canadian firm, for the repair of three generators, had cost the state exchequer a staggering Rs 375 crores. On 16 January 2007, Kerala High Court ordered a CBI enquiry into the SNC Lavalin case.[4] On 21 January 2009, CBI filed a progress report on the investigation in the Kerala high court. Pinarayi Vijayan had been named as the 9th accused in the case.[5][6] CPI(M) backed Pinarayi saying that the CBI move was "politically motivated". Party viewed the implication of Pinarayi in the case is to settle scores with the CPM after the party withdrew its support to the UPA government.[6] The CPM led Kerala Government decided not to let Vijayan to be prosecuted in the case.[7] Over-ruling the cabinet recommendation, the Governor allowed CBI to prosecute Vijayan based on prima facie evidence.[8][9] Though CPI(M) called Governor's move un-constitutional, then Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said there is nothing surprising or wrong in Governor's decision.[10][11][12][13]
On 5 November 2013, the CBI special court discharged Pinarayi Vijayan and the others accused from the list of accused in the SNC-Lavalin Case. The court has allowed a plea made by Pinarayi Vijayan asking his name to be removed from the list of accused in the case. The court held that there isn't any proof of dishonest and fraudulent intentions, abuse of official position and cheating.
Controversies
- On 16 February 2007 the air port security in Chennai Airport recovered five bullets from Vijayan's baggage. The Chennai airport security had let him off after receiving a faxed copy of his license.[14]
- The stand-off between the CPI(M) and the Catholic Church in Kerala took another nasty turn with CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan demanding that the church withdraw a controversial pastoral letter issued recently. The letter had recommended a "liberation struggle" on the lines of the one in the 1950s to liberate the education sector in Kerala from state control, so that the management can charge fees and capitation without government intervene.[15]
- On 16 October 2007, Pinarayi had called Paul Chitilapally, the bishop of Thamarassery in Kerala, as a "wretched creature". He was speaking at a memorial remembrance of Mathai Chacko, MLA from Thamarassery and a CPM member. He said "A lie is a lie, and just because it is uttered by a bishop it does not become a holy lie." Later, the Roman Catholic Church in Kerala was up in arms against the CPM leadership for his comments against the bishop. However, he repeated the same and stuck to his comments he had mentioned. This led to heated discussion among the Catholic community across the state to protest against his speech by closing all educational institutions run by the church.[16][17]
References
- ^ "CPI(M) cadres happy with Pinarayi's re-election". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 24 February 2005.
- ^ a b "Pinarayi Vijayan". www.cpimkerala.org. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ "Achuthanandan, Pinarayi Vijayan suspended". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 27 May 2007.
- ^ "Kearala to go by HC order in Lavalin case". The Hindu Business Line.
- ^ "CBI finds Pinarayi guilty in Lavalin scam, moralistic CPM yet to act". The Economic Times. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
- ^ a b "CBI seeks nod to prosecute CPM's Kerala unit chief". The Indian Express. 22 January 2009.
- ^ "Kerala govt not to prosecute Vijayan in Lavlain case". The Times of India. 6 May 2009.
- ^ "Governor allows CBI to prosecute Vijayan". The Times of India. 8 June 2009.
- ^ "CBI gets Governor nod to book Pinarayi". The Indian Express. 8 June 2009.
- ^ "Kerala CM says governor not wrong, riles CPM". Times of India. 11 June 2009.
- ^ "Rift in Kerala unit of CPIM widens". Business Standard. 19 June 2009.
- ^ "Time for party to come to aid of Lavalin accused". Indian Express. 8 July 2009.
- ^ "Vijayan fund". Telegraphindia. 25 June 2009.
- ^ "Act against Pinarayi: Chandy". The Hindu. 20 February 2007.
- ^ "Pinarayi wants pastoral letter retracted". Gulf News.
- ^ "Unfazed Pinarayi continues to attack bishop". The Economic Times. 17 October 2007.
- ^ "Do not vitiate social climate, says Pinarayi". The Hindu. 17 October 2007.
External links
- Pinarayi Vijayan discusses the future of the left in India. Tehelka, Volume 12 Issue 17, Dated 25 April 2015.