Thiruvananthapuram, April 1
With just hours left for the 24th CPI(M) party congress to begin in Madurai, people are wondering whether P.A. Mohammed Riyas, the son-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has been fast tracked in the state unit of the party, will get another lift when the new Central Committee (CC) will be named in the next few days.
Ever since Riyas married Vijayan’s daughter Veena during the Covid pandemic in 2020, his political fortunes have risen dramatically in the party.
In the 2021 Assembly polls Riyas, who hails from Kozhikode district, was given the safest seat at Beypore to contest and he won as expected.
When CM Vijayan selected his Cabinet, Riyas was given the most prestigious Public Works Department portfolio which is normally handled by veterans and never given to a first-time legislator.
Another plum portfolio that he got was the tourism department. That was a surprise as in the 2006 V.S. Achuthanandan Cabinet this portfolio was handled by veteran party leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan along with the Home portfolio.
As if this was not enough, CM Vijayan who has both the government and the party in his iron fists, sprang yet another surprise when Riyas was elevated to the powerful state secretariat of the Kerala unit of the CPI(M) in 2022.
Now Vijayan has complete dominance even at the national level of the party.
The state secretariat is having a meeting on Tuesday just before all of the state leaders leave for Madurai.
A broad decision will be made on what the game plan is going to be at the Madurai party congress as a new general secretary, a new politburo and a new Central Committee have to be elected.
While the name of politburo member M.A. Baby is there in the list of frontrunners for the new general secretary’s post, at present there are four in the politburo from here and 15 in the Central Committee.
There are going to be three retirements from Kerala from the Central Committee and it’s here the name of Riyas is being debated.
A media critic on condition of anonymity said when it comes to appointments to positions, the community factor might give Riyas the advantage, apart from Vijayan’s clout.
“The same might go against state Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian who is senior to Riyas in the party, as there are already two Christians (Baby and Thomas Isaac) in the CC.
“State Ports Minister V.N. Vasavan who is one of the closest aides of Vijayan and belongs to the powerful Hindu Ezhava community also stands a chance. One more person will get a berth in the CC and in all likelihood it would be a women leader,” said the media critic.
Incidentally, Vijayan at the moment is the only leader in the party who has got the permission to continue after the retirement age of 75 that’s been fixed in the CPI(M).
For Vijayan who will turn 80 next month, and whose health is also failing, the elevation of Riyas will not be a surprise, such is his clout
