PV Anvar has gone all out against CPI(M) and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Credit: X/@pv_anvar
Thiruvananthapuram: A Kerala MLA who was till recently in the news mostly for controversies over alleged irregularities in his family run water theme park is now in the limelight as a whistle blower exposing the alleged corruption of the left-front government, in which he was also a part till he severed ties with the CPI(M) the other day.
The 57-year-old, who won Kerala Assembly election twice as CPI(M)-backed independent from Nilambur in Malappuram district, hails from a traditional Congress family of Edavanna in Malappuram.
Anvar's father P V Shoukathali was an All India Congress Committee member. Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had even come down for Shoukathali's election campaign in 1962.
Anvar entered politics through the Youth Congress and later left the Congress along with Congress stalwart and former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran to form Democratic Indira Congress in 2005.
Later he moved close to the CPI(M), rather CPI(M) moved close to him, after his impressive performance as independent candidate in Malappuram's Eranad Assembly seat in 2011 by finishing second.
In 2016, he contested as CPI(M)-backed independent candidate at Nilambur in Malappuram and wrested the seat that was being held by Congress veteran Aryadan Mohammed for nearly three decades. In the 2021 Assembly election Anvar retained the Nilambur seat.
Having made inroads for the left-front in the Indian Union Muslim League's strongholds of Malappuram district, Anvar also developed much proximity with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Anvar himself openly said on many occasions, even the other day, that Vijayan was like a father figure for him.
Vijayan's proximity with Anvar was also evident on many occasions as Vijayan strongly backed Anvar when the latter was caught up in controversies over the alleged irregularities at his family run water theme park at Koodaranji on the suburbs of Kozhikode.
During this Lok Sabha election campaign Anvar's remark against Congress top leader Rahul Gandhi that the latter's DNA needed to be tested as he was not showing the standards expected from a Nehru scion was widely flayed.
After winning the 2021 Assembly polls Anvar's prolonged absence in India for over two months had triggered a row. He was engaged in gold mining business in African country Sierra Leone.
Anvar was also in the news for openly raising threats against a section of the media for giving reports adverse to him.