Pinarayi Vijayan

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Pinarayi Vijayan
പിണറായി വിജയൻ
Pinarayi.JPG
12th Chief Minister of Kerala
Assumed office
25 May 2016
Governor P Sathasivam
Preceded by Oommen Chandy
Constituency Dharmadom
Member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Assumed office
24 March 2002
Minister of Electricity, Kerala state
In office
1996–1998
Preceded by G. Karthikeyan
Succeeded by S. Sharma
Minister of Co-operatives, Kerala state
In office
1996–1998
Preceded by M. V. Raghavan
Succeeded by S. Sharma
Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Kerala State Committee
In office
25 September 1998 – 23 February 2015
Preceded by Chadayan Govindan
Succeeded by Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
Personal details
Born (1945-05-24) 24 May 1945 (age 79)
Pinarayi, Malabar district, Madras Presidency, British India
Political party Communist Party of India (Marxist)CPI-M-flag.svg
Spouse(s) Kamala
Children Vivek Kiran
Veena
Residence Pinarayi, Kerala
Alma mater Government Brennen College, Thalassery

Pinarayi Vijayan (Malayalam: പിണറായി വിജയൻ; born 24 May 1945[1]) is an Indian politician who is the current Chief Minister of Kerala.[2]

A member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), he was the longest serving secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) from 1998 to 2015. He also served in the government of Kerala as Minister of Electric Power and Co-operatives from 1996 to 1998. Vijayan won a seat in the May 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly election as the CPI(M) candidate for Dharmadom constituency[3] and was selected as the leader of Left Democratic Front and the 12th Chief Minister of Kerala.[4][5]

Early life and education

Vijayan was born on 24 May 1945[1] in a poor family in Pinarayi in Kannur district, as the youngest son of Koran and Kalyani.[6] After graduating school, he worked as a handloom weaver for a year before joining for Pre–university course in the Government Brennen College, Thalassery. Subsequently, he completed his degree course from the same college.[7][8]

Political career

Pinarayi Vijayan entered politics through student union activities at Govt Brennen College, Thalassery and eventually joined the Communist Party in 1964. Vijayan became Kannur district secretary of the Kerala Students Federation (KSF), which later became the Students Federation of India (SFI). He went on to become the state secretary and subsequently the state president of KSF. He then moved on to Kerala State Youth Federation (KSYF), which later became the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). He became the president of the state committee. During that period, when communists in Kerala were organising the political activities from different hide-outs, Pinarayi Vijayan was imprisoned for one and a half years.

Later he was elected as the president of the Kerala state co-operative bank. During the emergency, he was arrested and tortured by police. He became the Kannur district secretary of the CPI(M) when M.V. Raghavan left the party over the ‘alternative document' row. Within three years, he became a member of the State secretariat. He was elected to the Assembly in 1970, 1977 and 1991 from Koothuparamba and in 1996 from Payyannur. He was the Minister for Electric power and Co-operatives in the E.K. Nayanar ministry from 1996 to 1998. In 1998, he became the state secretary of the CPI(M), following the death of the incumbent Chadayan Govindan. He was elected to the politburo of the CPI(M) in 2002.[7]

On 26 May 2007 the CPI(M) suspended Pinarayi Vijayan and V. S. Achuthanandan from the politburo for their public remarks on each other. Pinarayi was reinstated into the Politburo later.[9]

On 25 may 2016 Pinaray Vijayan become the 12th Chief Minister of Kerala

Positions held

  • Was the state president and secretary of Kerala Student's Federation and president of Kerala State Youth Federation .
  • Served as president of Kerala State Co-operative Bank
  • Elected to Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1970, 1977, 1991, 1996 and 2016.
  • Served as minister in Kerala government between 1996 and 1998.
  • Secretary of the Kerala state committee of the CPI(M) between 1998 and 2015.
  • Member of the CPI(M) politburo from 2002.
  • Chief Minister of Kerala from 25th May 2016
Election Victories
Year Constituency Closest rival Majority (votes)
1970 Koothuparamba Thayath Raghavan (PSP) 743
1977 Koothuparamba Abdulkadar (RSP) 4,401
1991 Koothuparamba P. Ramakrishnan (INC) 12,960
1996 Payyannur K. N. Kannoth (INC) 28,078
2016 Dharmadom Mambaram Divakaran (INC) 36,905

SNC Lavalin allegation and acquittal

The SNC Lavalin controversy in Kerala was a major allegation that rocked Kerala politics. The Controller and Auditor General of India report had stated that the deal Vijayan had struck as electricity minister in 1998 with Lavalin, a Canadian firm, for the repair of three generators, had cost the state exchequer a staggering Rs 375 crores. On 16 January 2007, Kerala High Court ordered a CBI enquiry into the SNC Lavalin case.[10] On 21 January 2009, CBI filed a progress report on the investigation in the Kerala high court. Pinarayi Vijayan had been named as the 9th accused in the case.[11][12] CPI(M) backed Pinarayi saying that the CBI move was "politically motivated". Party viewed the implication of Pinarayi in the case is to settle scores with the CPM after the party withdrew its support to the UPA government.[12] The CPM led Kerala Government decided not to let Vijayan to be prosecuted in the case.[13] Over-ruling the cabinet recommendation, the Governor allowed CBI to prosecute Vijayan based on prima facie evidence.[14][15] Though CPI(M) called Governor's move un-constitutional, then Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said there is nothing surprising or wrong in Governor's decision.[16][17][18][19]

On 5 November 2013, the CBI special court discharged Pinarayi Vijayan and the others accused from the list of accused in the SNC-Lavalin Case. The court has allowed a plea made by Pinarayi Vijayan asking his name to be removed from the list of accused in the case. The court held that there isn't any proof of dishonest and fraudulent intentions, abuse of official position and cheating.

Personal life

He is married to Kamala and has two children, Veena and Vivek.

Controversies

  • On 16 February 2007 the airport 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.[20]
  • As CPI(M) state secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan demanded that the Catholic Church in Kerala withdraw a controversial pastoral letter. 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 could charge fees and capitation without government intervention.[21]
  • On 16 October 2007, Pinarayi called Paul Chitilapally, the bishop of Thamarassery in Kerala, a "wretched creature". He was speaking at a memorial remembrance of Mathai Chacko, MLA from Thamarassery and a CPI(M) 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 Church in Kerala was up in arms against the CPM leadership for his comments against the bishop. However, he repeated the same and stuck to his comments. This led to heated discussion among the Catholic community across the state to protest against his speech by closing all educational institutions run by the church.[22][23]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Pinarayi Vijayan, 72, Will Be Kerala Chief Minister, Not Achuthanandan, 92
  5. ↑ Pinarayi Vijayan to be next chief minister of Kerala
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Chief Minister of Kerala
25 May 2016 – Present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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