Fearing backlash, CPI-M dumps naming Health Minister Veena George as first woman district party Secretary

Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Dec 30 (IANS) With Kerala CPI-M’s organisational polls currently underway, the prospect of the first party woman district Secretary failed to materialise on Monday amid speculations that state Health Minister Veena George might be named for Pathanamthitta district, but fearing a backlash, senior party leaders decided to appoint veteran former legislator Raju Abraham to the post instead.

In the last six decades, the CPI-M in Kerala has had no woman Chief Minister, or a state chief, and and not a single woman leader has even served as party district Secretary in any of the present-day 14 district committees.

Thus, it has been coming under fire over poor representation of women in the party’s internal framework.

Journalist-turned-two-time CPI-M legislator George is a protege of the power Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and eyebrows were raised when after winning a second successive term, he opted for her as Health Minister and did not retain outgoing Minister K.K. Shailaja who had won accolades for her work during the Covid pandemic.

On Monday when it came to selecting the new Pathanamthitta district secretary and a new district committee, even though Vijayan and the top party bosses preferred to bring in George, they, after getting a feel that if the move goes to the ballot, then she might lose, decided not to back her and Abraham was unanimously selected as the new Pathanamthitta district CPI-M Secretary.

Abraham who has a huge following in the district and has been the legislator from the Ranni assembly constituency from 1996 till 2021, does not fall into the good books of Vijayan and that was one reason he was not given the chance to contest the April Lok Sabha elections from the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency.

Earlier, veteran woman leader and former minister J. Mercykutty, who served in the 2016-21 Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet, was billed for the post of district Secretary in Kollam, but, at the last minute, this failed to happen when the decision came that the incumbent district secretary was chosen to continue for a second three-year term.

After Mercykutty failed to enter the party record books, hopes were high that George would but now with that also failing to happen, all eyes are on the remaining district committee meetings to see if a woman will be named.

It remains to be seen whether Shailaja, the popular legislator from Kannur, will get the chance to become the first woman district committee Secretary.

At present, the 17-member state secretariat has only one woman, while in the Central Committee, there are two women from Kerala.

A new Politburo is expected to be elected by the newly-formed Central Committee at the upcoming 24th Party Congress in Madurai in 2025.

While the CPI-M, which speaks often about gender neutrality, is yet to appoint a woman to a top post in the state, the Congress in Kerala can take pride that they appointed Srikutty Malu Amma as state party President in 1952.

–IANS

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