Thiruvananthapuram: In an extraordinary turn of events at Deshabhimani, the official mouthpiece of the CPM, News Editor in charge K R Ajayan has been relieved of his duties following a major controversy over a feature titled 'Kallan Vijayan' scheduled for its Sunday supplement.

Upon arriving for work on Monday, Ajayan found his office room locked, effectively signaling his removal from charge. Resident Editor M Swaraj subsequently served him a show-cause notice, stating that the incident had brought major disrepute to both the party and the publication. Ajayan submitted his formal reply on Monday as requested.

The origin of the row

The controversy stems from the planned layout of the upcoming weekend edition. The lead feature was a commemorative piece on the late V S Achuthanandan titled "Muzhangunnippozhum Aa Kadalirambam" (That sound of the sea still resonates) by K V Sudhakaran. However, the back page carried a feature on theatre artist Vijayakumar by T C Rajesh, titled "Kallan Vijayan, Dhanya Naatakagraamam, Muttathippara PO".

When party leadership realised that featuring a tribute to V S Achuthanandan alongside the title "Kallan Vijayan" (Vijayan- The Thief) in the same edition invited severe misinterpretation, especially given internal party sensitivities, printing and distribution were immediately halted. The supplement was later published after completely removing the ‘Kallan Vijayan’ feature.

Internal factionalism and information leak

Beyond the editorial oversight, the show-cause notice issued to Ajayan specifically questioned how internal communications regarding the halt of the supplement were leaked to external media outlets. Reports indicate that the leak points toward deep-seated party factionalism spilling over into Deshabhimani's daily operations, with further organisational disciplinary actions expected in the coming days.

‘Let Deshabhimani do as it deems fit’: V A Arunkumar

Meanwhile, V A Arunkumar, son of V S Achuthanandan, reacted to the controversy surrounding the Deshabhimani Sunday supplement, stating that he only has to say Deshabhimani may do as they deem fit. He noted that publishing or not publishing a newspaper is political, and he had nothing further to say beyond that. Arunkumar told reporters that no one had spoken to him or his family members regarding the article. He added that he had spoken to the party leadership several times regarding the V S memorial and had conveyed the family's views.