CPI(M) remains evasive over Mukesh’s continuation as MLA

Mahila Congress workers protest against actors Mukesh, Ganesh Kumar, Siddique and others after the Justice Hema Committee report revealed cases of sexual harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry, in Kochi, on August 30, 2024. | Photo credit: PTI

The state secretariat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met here on Friday amid mounting calls for the resignation of party legislator and actor M. Mukesh, who is accused of sexual exploitation and abuse.

The CPI(M) has not indicated that it has discussed the political controversy surrounding Mr Mukesh. The party’s state committee is likely to consider the issue on Saturday.

Local Self Government Minister MB Rajesh refused to speculate on Mr Mukesh’s fate as a party legislator, saying the party would provide clarification.

On Thursday, EP Jayarajan, chairman of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), said Mukesh’s exit depends on whether the opposition, which is demanding the actor’s resignation, asks two Congress members accused of rape to resign.

In an article on the same day, CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat warned the party against what she called “you did this, I did that kind of futile arguments” in providing a safe environment for women.

Some sections of the media interpreted Ms Karat’s article as an indirect criticism of Mr Jayarajan’s position. In Alappuzha, Communist Party of India (CPI) State Secretary Binoy Viswam denied a split in the LDF over Mr Mukesh’s resignation.

Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan alleged that a power group in the CPI(M) led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was shielding wrongdoers in the party. He doubted whether a weakened CPI could act as a force for good in the ruling alliance.

The CPI(M) also faced criticism from the Congress after a young artist alleged that she approached the CPI(M) and the government about an assistant director who ‘drugged and raped’ her on a film set in 2022.

The survivor was the latest in a group of complainants to give evidence before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against a group of top actors and directors.

Meanwhile, the investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation and corruption against top actors and directors gained momentum, with police obtaining affidavits from several of the accused. Protests by Congress and BJP continued outside Mr Mukesh’s residence.