Pinarayi Vijayan
Encyclopedia
Pinarayi Vijayan is a politician and a former minister of Kerala
, South India. He is currently a politburo member and the state secretary of Kerala State Committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)).
(Tiyan) family in Pinarayi
in Kannur district
.
He is married to Kamala and has two children.
in 1970. He was re-elected in 1977, 1991 and 1996. He was the Minister for Electric power and Co-operatives in the E.K. Nayanar ministry from 1996 to 1998. In 1998 he became CPI(M) state secretary. He was elected to the politburo of CPI(M) in 2002.
from the politburo for their public remarks on each other. The central committee has approved the politburo
's decision to suspend them. It concluded that open criticism against each other aired by the two leaders had "violated the norms of the party". Pinarai was reinstated as members of the Politburo later.
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, South India. He is currently a politburo member and the state secretary of Kerala State Committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)).
Early life
He was born on 21 March 1944 into an EzhavaEzhava
The Ezhavas are a community with origins in the region presently known as Kerala. They are also known as Ilhava, Irava, Izhava and Erava in the south of the region; as Chovas, Chokons and Chogons in Central Travancore; and as Tiyyas, Thiyas and Theeyas in Malabar...
(Tiyan) family in Pinarayi
Pinarayi
Pinarayi is a census town in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala.-Geography:Pinarayi is from the district headquarters Kannur. The nearest town and railway station is Thalassery which is away. The village is surrounded by rivers on three sides, and the remaining boundaries consist of...
in Kannur district
Kannur district
Kannur District is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The town of Kannur is the district headquarters, and gives the district its name. The old name Cannanore is the anglicised form of the Malayalam name Kannur. Kannur District is bounded by Kasaragod District to the north and...
.
He is married to Kamala and has two children.
Political career
Pinarayi Vijayan entered politics through student union activities and eventually joined the Communist Party in 1964. He was president and secretary of the Kerala Student's Federation (KSF) and also served as the president of Kerala State Youth Federation (KSYF). During that period, when communists in Kerala were organising the political activities from different hide-outs, Pinarayi Vijayan was imprisoned for one and half years .Later he was elected the president of the Kerala state co-operative bank. And during emergency he was arrested and tortured by police. He got elected to the Kerala Legislative AssemblyKerala Legislative Assembly
The Kerala Legislative Assembly more popularly known as Niyamasabha , is the law making body of Kerala, one of the 28 States in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives and one nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community...
in 1970. He was re-elected in 1977, 1991 and 1996. He was the Minister for Electric power and Co-operatives in the E.K. Nayanar ministry from 1996 to 1998. In 1998 he became CPI(M) state secretary. He was elected to the politburo of CPI(M) in 2002.
Suspension
On May 26, 2007 the CPI(M) suspended Pinarayi Vijayan and V. S. AchuthanandanV. S. Achuthanandan
Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of the state of Kerala. He had been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India since 1985, and until July 2009, when he was reverted to the Central Committee of the party owing to his...
from the politburo for their public remarks on each other. The central committee has approved the politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
's decision to suspend them. It concluded that open criticism against each other aired by the two leaders had "violated the norms of the party". Pinarai was reinstated as members of the Politburo later.
Positions held
- Was the state president and secretary of Kerala Student's Federation and president of Kerala State Youth Federation (KSYF).
- Served as president of Kerala State Co-operative Bank.
- Elected to Kerala Legislative AssemblyKerala Legislative AssemblyThe Kerala Legislative Assembly more popularly known as Niyamasabha , is the law making body of Kerala, one of the 28 States in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives and one nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community...
in 1970, 1977, 1991 and 1996. - Served as minister in Kerala government between 1996 and 1998.
- Secretary of the Kerala state committee of the CPI(M) since 1998.
- Member of the CPI(M) politburo from 2002.
Controversies
- The SNC Lavalin controversySNC Lavalin scandalThe SNC Lavalin scandal is financial scam related to the contracting of the government with a Canadian company, SNC-Lavalin which resulted in an alleged net loss to the exchequer of 374.50 crore in the renovations of the hydro electric power stations at Pallivasal , Sengulam and Panniar - also...
in Kerala is a major allegation that rocked Kerala politics . The Comptroller and Auditor General of India report said that the deal Vijayan had struck as electricity minister in 1998 with Lavalin, a Canadian firm, for the repair of three generators, was a huge fraud and had cost the state exchequer a staggering Rs 3.76 billion. On 16 January 2007, Kerala High Court ordered a CBICentral Bureau of InvestigationThe Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
enquiry into the SNC Lavalin case. On 21 January 2009, CBI filed a progress report on the investigation in the Kerala high court. Pinarayi Vijayan has been named as the 9th accused in the case. CPM backed Pinarayi saying that the CBI move was "politically motivated".However, there has been no evidence of any personal financial gain to him on account of the contract given. The CPM led Kerala Government decided not to let Vijayan to be prosecuted in the case. Overruling the cabinet recommendation, the Governeor allowed CBI to prosecute Vijayan based on prima facie evidence. Though CPI(M) called Governor's move un-constitutional, Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said there is nothing surprising or wrong in Governor's decision. With Kerala Governor's recommendation to prosecute Vijayan in the SNS Lavalin case, he became the first Politburo member in the CPI(M) history to be prosecuted in a corruption case.
- On February 16, 2007 the air port security in Chennai Airport recovered five bullets from Vijayan's baggage. The Chennai airport security had let him off after receiving a faxed copy of his license.
- The stand-off between the CPI(M) and the Catholic Church in Kerala took another nasty turn with CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan demanding that the church withdraw a controversial pastoral letter issued recently.The letter had recommended a "liberation struggle" on the lines of the one in the 1950s to liberate the education sector in Kerala from state control, so that the management can charge fees and capitation without government intervene.
- On 16 October 2007, Pinarayi had called Paul Chitilapally, the bishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Thamarassery in Kerala, as a "wretched creature" for his lie. He was speaking in a memorialMemorialA memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
remembrance of Mathai Chacko, MLA from Thamarassery and a CPM member.He said “A lie is a lie, and just because it is uttered by a bishop it does not become a holy lie” . Later, the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Kerala is up in arms against the CPM leadership as his comments against the bishop. However, he repeated the wordings and stick with the comments he had mentioned. This made a heated discussion among the Catholic community across the state and has protested against his speech by closing all educational institutions and churches.