(In the Know Your Candidate series, tfipost.com will profile interesting candidates in the run-up to the 2019 General Elections.)

On Saturday, Communist Party of India (Marxist) announced a list of 12 candidates in Kerala for the upcoming general elections. The list announced by party state Chief Kodiyeri Balakrishnan features mostly local leaders, including six sitting MPs, four MLAs and two district secretaries.

Significantly, P. Jayarajan, an infamous leader from Kannur who is currently under CBI’s scanner over charges of a political murder, also features in the list. Jayarajan will contest the election from Vadakara constituency. On February 11, the central investigation agency filled murder and conspiracy charges against him in a case relating to the murder of a Muslim Students Federation activist in 2012. According to a Thalassery sessions court source, P. Jayarajan had been charged under section 302 and 120B of Indian Penal Court (IPC).

The CPI (M) Kannur district committee tried to portray it as misuse of CBI to target political opponents but it is apparently unethical on the part of Communist party to field a chargesheeted candidate. Taking a jibe at P. Jayarajan, opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said, “Shukoor (Muslim Students Federation activist) was murdered in a brutal manner. He was caught and his photo was sent across mobiles to confirm his identity before killing him. This shook the conscience of the society”. He further lashed out at the CPI (M) and added that the murder charges against P Jayarajan was a big blow to the “violent politics” of the communist party.

Moreover, the political murder is not the only case that is lodged against him. Other charges against the CPI (M) leader includes charges related to punishment (under IPC Section-143), punishment for rioting (under IPC Section-147), charges related to wrongful restraint (under IPC Section-341), disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant (under IPC Section-188) and charges related to unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object (under IPC Section-149).

It is not a new thing for CPI (M) to field candidates from criminal background but backing a convict of murder is a new low even by the standards of Communist party. Not to forget how CPI (M) government has handled the Sabarimala Temple issue and how many times it deliberately hurt the sentiments of Hindus. However, the CPI (M) has not given up on its insidious activities even after putting Kerala in such a tense situation. It is possible that the CPI (M) might have realized, owing to the widespread protests that it is losing popularity in Kerala at an alarming rate. Therefore, its cadres are resorting to activities like stone pelting on mosques. The idea is to create communal tensions and riots and then resort to the narrative of blaming the BJP for such riots. The CPI (M) has been resorting to insidious activities and has also put communal harmony of Kerala at stake in a bid to retain popularity and stop the rise of BJP in Kerala. Fielding shady candidate seems to be a part of that agenda of communists.