Thiruvananthapuram: In the Sabarimala gold smuggling case, the arrest of former Travancore Devaswom Board president and former CPM MLA A. Padmakumar has put the CPM in a severe crisis. With the Special Investigation Team identifying him as the main conspirator, the Opposition is certain to use this issue aggressively against the CPM in the ongoing local body elections as well as the upcoming Assembly polls.

A Key Leader Close to Pinarayi Faction Trapped:
Padmakumar, who had been active in the CPM’s Pathanamthitta district committee since its formation and who became an MLA from Konni in 1991, was a prominent leader of the Pinarayi Vijayan faction. He assumed charge as Devaswom Board president in 2019. A leader so closely linked to the party’s top leadership being embroiled in a corruption case has delivered a serious blow to the CPM’s claim of having “clean hands.”

Former Minister on the Defensive:
The controversial developments took place during the tenure of then Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, placing the CPM further on the defensive. The Opposition’s allegation that decisions of the Devaswom Board could not have happened without the minister’s knowledge is gaining strength. There is also growing concern within the CPM that the investigation may extend to the former minister. However, Kadakampally maintains that the minister has no role in the decisions of the Devaswom Board.

Govindan Responds, but Questions Remain:
CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan continues to assert that the party will not protect anyone. But Padmakumar’s political connections cannot be concealed. While Govindan stresses that an arrest does not make one guilty and that Padmakumar is only an accused as of now, the development nonetheless poses a significant challenge for the CPM in the election arena. With a prominent state leader being arrested in a gold smuggling case, the CPM leadership is also worried that their “development-focused” campaign may lose its sheen.