Thiruvananthapuram:
The tragic death of K. Anil Kumar, a senior BJP leader and councillor from the Thirumala ward, has ignited a fierce political clash between the BJP and the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, just as civic body elections loom on the horizon.
Kumar, aged 52, was found hanging at the Valiyasala Farm Tour Society office, a cooperative venture where he served as president.
His sudden death has exposed deep fissures within the state’s cooperative sector and intensified the war of words between rival parties.
Circumstances Surrounding the Death
Kumar was not just an elected councillor but also the general secretary of the BJP’s Thiruvananthapuram City unit and a well-known figure in local cooperative circles.
According to reports, he had been under tremendous financial stress linked to the operations of the cooperative society he headed.
A suicide note, believed to have been written by Kumar, shed light on the crisis. He explained that the society was grappling with financial distress common to many such institutions:
- Fixed deposits had already been repaid.
- Traditional income streams such as chit funds and daily deposits had dried up.
- Depositors were now putting relentless pressure, demanding the return of their money.
- A large amount of dues remained unrecovered from borrowers.
Kumar wrote, “Our people were helped… Neither I nor the governing body has caused anomalies in the society.”
This line, though seemingly intended to absolve himself and his colleagues of wrongdoing, has now become the center of political controversy.
CPI(M)’s Response: Allegations of BJP’s Involvement
The ruling CPI(M) wasted no time in seizing upon the tragedy, interpreting Kumar’s words as a veiled reference to corruption within the BJP.
CPI(M) district secretary and Varkala MLA V Joy alleged that BJP leaders had siphoned off funds from the cooperative society, leaving Kumar to take the fall.
The BJP leadership pocketed huge sums of money from the cooperative society. They cannot escape responsibility now. Even in the Farm Tour Society, BJP leaders took massive loans and betrayed Kumar by not repaying them.
He and his family deserve justice,” Joy said.
The CPI(M) has announced plans for protest marches across the district, demanding accountability and pointing to what they call widespread corruption in cooperative societies.
BJP’s Counterattack: Blaming Police Harassment
The BJP, however, has strongly rejected the allegations. Union Minister V. Muraleedharan emphasized that the suicide note made no explicit reference to the BJP.
According to him, the phrase “our people” referred merely to borrowers or individuals known personally to Kumar.
Muraleedharan instead accused the CPI(M)-police nexus of driving Kumar to despair. Kumar was pushed to suicide after police threatened him, following complaints from certain investors. This is nothing but political victimization,” he alleged.
He further pointed to the recent expulsion of CPI(M) councillor B Rajendran over corruption charges, suggesting that the ruling party was trying to deflect attention from its own scandals.
The Larger Cooperative Crisis in Kerala
Kumar’s death has reopened the debate on the credibility of Kerala’s vast cooperative network. While these societies have traditionally been community-driven financial lifelines, many in recent years have come under scrutiny for mismanagement, delayed repayments, and allegations of political interference.
For the BJP, this tragedy comes at a particularly delicate time. The party, currently the principal Opposition in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, is campaigning aggressively to oust the CPI(M) in the upcoming civic elections.
However, the opposition now finds itself on the back foot, battling allegations of financial irregularities within cooperative institutions linked to its leaders.
Notably, a similar scandal had recently rocked the Venganoor Rural Cooperative Society, where BJP functionaries too were accused of corruption.
On the other hand, the CPI(M), which itself commands deep influence in Kerala’s cooperative sector, is using this episode to turn the spotlight away from its own troubles.
The Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam in Thrissur, controlled by CPI(M), was widely seen as one of the factors contributing to BJP candidate Suresh Gopi’s victory in last year’s Lok Sabha elections.
Political Reactions Escalate
The political temperature further rose after BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar lashed out angrily at media queries regarding the cooperative crisis.
His sharp remarks are seen as reflective of the growing unease within the BJP camp, which now faces both public scrutiny and the challenge of defending its cooperative ventures.
Meanwhile, Kumar’s death has left his family and supporters devastated. Many within his circle believe he was a victim of systemic failures, mounting financial liabilities, and the unbearable weight of depositor pressure.
The suicide of Anil Kumar is not just a personal tragedy—it has become a political flashpoint, exposing the rot in the cooperative sector and the toxic blame game between Kerala’s two major political rivals.
With civic elections approaching, both the BJP and CPI(M) are using the incident to accuse one another of corruption, mismanagement, and moral failure.
As the dust settles, one truth remains: cooperative societies, once seen as pillars of trust, are increasingly at the center of political scandals, financial instability, and public disillusionment.
Unless reforms are undertaken, Kumar’s death may only be a grim sign of deeper crises to come.
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