Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 13
Soon after submitting his resignation as legislator, estranged Independent-backed Left legislator P.V. Anvar on Monday said it was West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee who suggested that he should resign.
“I did not go to Kolkata with the intent to resign and informed Mamata Banerjee the biggest problem in Kerala is man-animal conflict which is also a major issue in the country. So I requested her to see if the TMC should raise this issue in Parliament. The TMC suggested that If I cooperate with them, they will definitely raise this in Parliament for suitable changes in the Forest Act,” said Anvar.
“So I said I will act as coordinator of TMC in Kerala but she suggested that it’s best that I submit my resignation. I spoke to my supporters back home and some said that I continue as a legislator but they gave me the choice to make the decision and on the 11th I decided to resign. I send an email to the Speaker, that I am resigning as a legislator and on Monday will personally submit my resignation. The rules are very clear that the legislator should give in writing about resigning and I have done it,” added Anvar and said he will not contest the Nilambur by-election.
“In the best interest, I will recommend the name of the present Malappuram district Congress committee president V.S. Joy as the candidate. From today onwards, I will be supporting the Congress-led UDF. My only agenda is to bring down the Vijayan government,” said Anvar.
“Now that I have resigned, I will now take my membership in TMC,” said Anvar. He then said it was P. Sasi, the political secretary to CM Vijayan, who asked him to raise an allegation of Rs 150 crore against Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan on the floor of the Assembly. “It was Sasi who said that he would get permission from the Speaker and then I would be allowed to raise this allegation against Satheesan. I on behalf of the people of Kerala apologise to Satheesan for raising this allegation and I request him to please accept my apologies,” said Anvar.
He then pointed out that it was a section in the CPI(M) that asked him to raise allegations against the police and Sasi to target CM Vijayan. “After I raised it, those who asked me remained elusive. I will not reveal who these leaders are,” said Anvar.
Earlier in the day, Anvar walked into the office of Speaker A.N. Shamseer and handed over his resignation letter. Incidentally, talks about his resignation as legislator first surfaced last week when he airdashed to Kolkata and held a meeting with CM Mamata Banerjee and other TMC leaders.
On Sunday, he took to his social media stating that on Monday there will be important announcements. Keeping his word, he drove from the legislator’s hostel here with the MLA board of his car masked. After spending a few minutes with the Speaker, he submitted his resignation and told him that he had resigned.
His resignation was on the cards after the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata announced that Anvar had been appointed coordinator of TMC in Kerala. It was after that speculations surfaced that the Vijayan-led Left would initiate steps to disqualify him as a legislator.
Anvar deciding to take the fight to the enemy camp has now resigned forcing a by-election as the term to end for the present Assembly is more than a year.
Anvar first won as a Left-backed Independent legislator in 2016 from the Nilambur constituency in Malappuram and retained it in 2021. But after September last year, he turned the tables on CM Vijayan after turning his biggest critic and has been constantly attacking him.
Things turned for the worse when last week Anvar was arrested and had to cool his heels in jail for a day for damaging a forest office. He led his supporters to protest following the death of a person in his constituency after a wild elephant trampled him to death. He got the bail the next day.
State CPI(M) secretary M.V. Govindan reacting to Anvar’s news of meeting the Speaker, said there was no doubt that he was headed to the UDF as there is no other option for him. “His resignation is not going to have any impact on Kerala politics,” said Govindan.
