Content about LDF's Palakkad bypoll candidate in E P Jayarajan's purported book 'a reality': UDF

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said Jayarajan's arrival in Palakkad to campaign for Sarin, the former digital media convener of the Congress, will not change what was said about the left candidate in the purported autobiography which has triggered a political storm in the state.

Palakkad: The Congress-led UDF on Thursday took a dig at P Sarin, LDF's Palakkad assembly bypoll candidate, by saying that excerpts about him in veteran CPI(M) leader E P Jayarajan's purported autobiography, were "a reality" that everyone knows.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said Jayarajan's arrival here to campaign for Sarin, the former digital media convener of the Congress, will not change what was said about the left candidate in the purported autobiography which has triggered a political storm in the state.

He also contended that Jayarajan was probably directed by the CPI(M) to come to Palakkad for the campaign in the wake of certain excerpts from the purported book being broadcast in the media.

"Otherwise, why did he (Jayarajan) not campaign for Sarin till now?" Satheesan asked while speaking to a TV channel here.

He said that Jayarajan's arrival in Palakkad to campaign for Sarin would not change what the CPI(M) leader has said about the LDF candidate in his book.

The contents of the purported book broadcast by the local media, criticise the party's decision to remove Jayarajan as LDF convenor and its choice of former KPCC digital media convenor P Sarin as the LDF independent candidate in Palakkad.

Sarin was removed from the Congress following his public expression of discontent over the party's decision to select Youth Congress state president Rahul Mamkootathil as the UDF candidate in the Palakkad assembly bypoll.

Jayarajan has termed the book a "forgery" and lodged a police complaint against the "perpetrators".

He has also issued a legal notice to the publisher.

"He (Jayarajan) has termed Sarin as 'opportunist' in the book. It was not added there by the publisher. Everyone with common sense knows it was written by Jayarajan.

"It is unfortunate for him that he has to come here and campaign for such a person. But, that is politics," the opposition leader said.

He further contended that when someone who had gone in search of a BJP ticket to contest in the bypoll was made an independent candidate of the CPI(M), there was serious discontent within the Left party.

"This discontent was expressed by one of the senior-most leaders of the party," he said.

Satheesan also contended that it was clear that there was no need for a well known book publisher to make up an autobiography in Jayarajan's name and that the book was actually written by the CPI(M) leader.

He also alleged that pressure was exerted on the publisher from the Chief Minister's Office to delay release of the book till after November 20, when the Palakkad assembly seat bypoll is scheduled to be held.

Jayarajan had on Wednesday clarified that he had neither decided on the title of his autobiography nor finalised its cover page.

The CPI(M) veteran alleged that "some crooked minds have conspired together" and published the news reports, forging certain pages of his autobiography with content that he had neither intended nor written.

He was responding to news reports which had said that the book, titled "Kattan Chayayum Parippuvadayum: The Life of a Communist" was being published by a well-known publisher, who had released its cover page on its social media handle on Tuesday.

A central committee member of the party, Jayarajan, was removed as LDF convener recently. The action followed revelations about his meeting with BJP Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar.