Estranged LDF legislator P.V. Anvar declares DMK leader, Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin as ideological lodestar of his nascent social organisation

As a former leader of the now-disbanded Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran), a Congress breakaway faction led by former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran in 2006, Mr. Anvar is reckoned a past master at playing dissident politics

Independent legislator P.V. Anvar, who acrimoniously broke ranks with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), has declared Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin as the ideological lodestar of his nascent social organisation. 

Remarkably, Mr. Anvar’s fledgeling organisation, the Democratic Movement of Kerala (DMK) and Mr. Stalin’s party share the same acronym.

Not a political party

On Sunday (October 6, 2024) evening, Mr. Anvar will formally launch the “movement” in Malappuram.

He stated that the DMK in Kerala was not a political outfit but a social movement based on secular principles espoused by the Dravidian movement. He conceded some “technical difficulties” in launching a new political outfit.

For one, Mr. Anvar remained a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) ‘s [CPI(M)] parliamentary party in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

The CPI(M) has yet to expel Mr. Anvar from its fold in the Assembly formally but has made a political statement by assigning him a seat on the opposition’s side of the aisle.

Social movement

Mr. Anvar has positioned the DMK “ social movement” in Kerala as a popular counterweight to the State’s “deep state and established political class. “

He appeared intent on mounting a massive apolitical grassroots opposition to paint the ruling class, including the opposition, as impervious to the trials and tribulations of the ordinary folk struggling to survive the deprivations of daily life.

Mr. Anvar said the DMK in Kerala would champion the cause of ordinary two-wheeler riders, street vendors, auto-rickshaw drivers, and settler farmers vulnerable to wildlife attacks. It would act as an independent check on power. 

Mustering discontents

Mr. Anvar’s gambit seemed focused on mustering the discontents in mainstream parties to form an electoral entity open to negotiations with the traditional fronts in future elections.

As a former leader of the now-disbanded Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) (DICK), a Congress breakaway faction led by former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran in 2006, Mr. Anvar is reckoned a past master at playing dissident politics.

Bid to be a political game changer

Both the ruling front and opposition perceive an attempt on Mr. Anvar’s part to emerge as a potential game changer in the impending by-elections in Chelakkara and Palakkad Assembly constituencies and, arguably by a long shot, the Wayanad Lok Sabha segment.

A spurned LDF insider

As an independent ruling front legislator, Mr. Anvar was the ultimate political insider for eight years. He was known for his spirited defence of Mr. Vijayan and aggressive sallies against opposition figures in the Assembly and outside.

“I have made enemies for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the government when most CPI(M) legislators sat in the Assembly twiddling their thumbs”, Mr. Anvar said.

The degree of strife between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office (CMO) and Mr Anvar had ebbed and flowed since July. 

In late September, seemingly at his wit’s end, Mr. Anvar adopted a combative poster after publicly complaining that Mr. Vijayan had given short shrift to his accusations of criminality and corruption against the top law enforcement and the Political Secretary, P. Sasi.

Attacks against government

Mr. Anvar’s ensuing headline-hogging and muckraking press conferences against Mr. Vijayan and the government in Malappuram triggered a turbulent run of controversies that wrongfooted the government. The constant attacks forced the CPI(M) to disavow Mr. Anvar publicly.

Anvar’s ‘rebellion’ rattled the LDF

The CPI(M) reportedly received criticism, chiefly from the Communist Party of India (CPI), for failing to manage and ease hostilities before the delicate political situation spiralled out of control. 

Mr. Anvar has emphatically signalled that his days of gratifying the current disposition at the head of the CPI(M) and government are over. “An uphill battle lies ahead of me. And I will take the fight across Kerala,” he said.

Published - October 06, 2024 12:43 pm IST