CPI(M) State secretariat convenes amidst shrill demands for actor M. Mukesh’s resignation
The Hindu
CPI(M) State secretariat meeting amidst calls for M.M. Mukesh's resignation over sexual exploitation accusations.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretariat is meeting on Friday (August 30, 2024) amidst increasingly strident calls for the resignation of party legislator and actor M. Mukesh, who is facing accusations of sexual exploitation and abuse.
LSGI Minister M.B. Rajesh refused to hazard a guess on Mr. Mukesh’s fate as a party legislator. He said those holding responsible positions in the CPI(M) would provide clarity.
In Alappuzha, Communist Party of India (CPI) State Secretary Binoy Viswam told reporters that the insinuation about a rift in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) over upholding women’s rights was a figment of feverish media imagination.
Mr. Viswam said the CPI and CPI(M) were historically on the same page on women’s rights and the equality of sexes. When pointed out that CPI leader Annie Raja had demanded Mr. Mukesh’s ouster, Mr. Viswam replied: “In Kerala, the party secretary’s word is final on issues relating to the CPI’s provincial unit. Ms. Raja is the CPI’s national executive member and general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women”.
Leader of the Opposition V,D, Sateeshan alleged that a power group headed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the CPI(M) shielded wrongdoers in the party, including Mr. Mukesh. He said the enfeebled CPI could not make any difference for the good of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) despite the party’s public protestations for Mr. Mukesh’s exit.
Mr. Sateeshan reiterated the United Democratic Front’s demand for prosecution of wrongdoers named in the Hema Committee report, which documented pervasive sexual exploitation and abuse in the Malayalam film industry.
Meanwhile, in an article published on August 29, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Vrinda Karat slammed Congress for “hampering the efforts of the LDF government to break new ground in the support for the fight for justice of the women in the film industry”.
