Thiruvananthapuram: CPM Central Committee member E.P. Jayarajan responded for the first time to serious allegations and controversies surrounding him in an interview to Mathrubhumi.

Party conferences are taking place. You were heard saying that you were leaving politics, but you are still active in party meetings and platforms. What happened there?
Nothing has happened to me. The party assigns us specific tasks at different stages, and that’s what we execute. I am functioning as per the party’s instructions in these meetings.

State Secretary M.V. Govindan has explained that you were removed from the position of LDF convener due to a lapse in performance. What was this lapse?
I don't believe Govindan Master would say something like that. I haven't come across such a remark. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) system in Kerala is functioning excellently, and the party itself has evaluated this. Removing me from the convener's position is a party decision, a responsibility the party entrusts, and I am currently fulfilling other responsibilities assigned to me.

Was the autobiography that was recently released written by you?
Some things that I did not write were the ones that came out first and became a big news. I don't personally know the candidate from Palakkad, Dr. Sarin, nor do I have any connection with him. The issue regarding him should not be a part of my autobiography. This is what I mean when I say that there is a conspiracy. It was deliberately made a news item during the by-election phase. I have told the police that this should be investigated, and the investigation is underway. Some matters have already been revealed, and the rest will soon be clear to the people.

Why is E P Jayarajan being portrayed as a person who creates controversies during election phases?
This is a question I should be asking. Why are there certain controversies being targeted at me? Last time, during the general election, there were news reports that the BJP leader met me. How can an event that happened a year before the elections become news on polling day? Now, during the by-election, news is being created in the name of my yet-to-be-completed autobiography. That is why I say all of this is planned.

When you say "planned," do you mean that some people want E.P. Jayarajan to politically collapse?
That may be true. I also feel that the ultimate goal behind this is to weaken the Left Front, particularly the CPM. There is an agenda to tarnish the government, and I believe I am being attacked for this. Some people are waiting to deceive me, and this is a fact. The intention behind these reports is to create the impression among party workers that Jayarajan has done something wrong. These people are trying to create a negative image of me within and outside the party.

You mention a conspiracy behind the autobiography. Who do you suspect?
I am the one who should write my autobiography. I have said that I am in the process of writing it, but it is not finished. Neither the cover nor the preface is ready. At this stage, some parts are being published, and these parts are coming out during the voting days of the by-election in three constituencies. Do we need a special reason to suspect a conspiracy behind all of this?

The news reports about you meeting the BJP leader, were they true?
Your question itself is loaded with malice. I did not meet the BJP leader. He came to meet me. Is it a great crime if people from two different political parties meet? There is no board outside the homes of communist leaders saying only communists can enter. If someone comes to meet, a communist’s political awareness does not change. When I started working in Kannur, I had to face threats and violence from opponents like the RSS. I’ve faced assassination attempts six times. Even when I was face-to-face with death, my political awareness did not change. All of this will become clear to the people.

You say the people will come to know, but will the party also come to know? Are those trying to deceive you from within the party?
The party is aware of everything. The party is a family, not a group of people looking for an opportunity to deceive. The party evaluates the actions and sacrifices of each individual. Based on this, the party makes appropriate decisions.

Do you have enemies within the party? I ask because it seems there is an attempt to involve you in controversies? 
It is a fact that there are attempts to target me even from within the party. But that does not mean I have enemies inside the party. If a proper investigation were to be conducted based on the controversies created by the media, it would become clear. People are trying to create doubts about me. The goal is to instill negative feelings against the Left Front, and in that process, make party members doubt me. Ultimately, a larger conspiracy is at work here. If you investigate who is behind these reports, you will come to know. The people of Kerala and party workers know me well.

You repeatedly say there is a conspiracy. Don’t you need to clarify who is behind it? Have you discussed this within the party?

You also must have felt that there is a conspiracy against me. As for who is behind it, it is not for me to say. It should be investigated and found out. I don’t want to put anyone under suspicion. There are several things I have recently come to know. There is some information regarding the route through which these reports are coming out. But I don’t need to say anything about that. Let the investigation continue, and everything will come out in the open. In the party, we speak openly about everything.

Translated by M A Rajeev Kumar