THE RULING CPI(M) finds itself in a quagmire over the widening sexual harassment allegations involving the Malayalam film industry, with several of those named having links with the party. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is already facing questions over the delayed release of the Justice Hema Committee report on the issue, which came out only after the intervention of the High Court. The actor Minu Maneer Monday accused two-time CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh of misconduct, making him the latest leader of the party to face such allegations. It was just a day after the LDF government secured the resignation of CPI(M) fellow traveller and ace director Ranjith as chairperson of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy. Initially, the CPI(M), particularly Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian, put its weight behind Ranjith, who was open about his Left leanings. Ranjith, in fact, was known to bring up his association with the CPI(M)’s student wing SFI whenever confronted over some issue in the Kerala Chalachitra Academy or awards or film festivals. But the CPI(M) faced opposition from even within the Left over letting Ranjith, who has denied the allegations of sexual misconduct against him as motivated, continue. This, coupled with Opposition protests, pushed the government on the back foot, with Ranjith finally stepping down from the post. A day later, the police registered a non-bailable case against Ranjith based on the complaint by a woman against him, in its first such action related to the allegations. The Pinarayi Vijayan government has also set up a high-level probe team to look into the revelations and complaints coming after the release of the Justice Hema report. However, the allegations now against Mukesh, the MLA from Kollam, mean the heat on the CPI(M) continues, with both the Congress and BJP demanding his resignation as a member of the Assembly. Some have demanded that Mukesh also be removed from the committee that will organise the Cinema Conclave, slated to be held in November to discuss issues in the sector. Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said the CPI(M)’s inaction against Mukesh reflects its reluctance on the matter. “By remaining idle on the Hema Committee report, the government covered up a series of sexual offences. It shows the government is trying to safeguard the interests of persons close to it,’’ he said. The three-member panel, led by Justice Hema, was set up in the wake of allegations of abduction and sexual assault by an actor against top Malayalam star Dileep in 2017. Its brief was to probe the working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry, from security to remuneration, and it submitted its report in December 2019. It kept lying with the government for more than four-and-a-half years. The Opposition has also pointed to the presence of actor-turned-politician K B Ganesh Kumar as minister in the Pinarayi government. Kumar has refused to comment on the revelations, pleading that he be excused. The Left, which returned to power in 2021 in an unprecedented achievement for Pinarayi, was once lauded for acting against Dileep, arresting him and setting up the Hema Committee. The CPI(M) had projected it as the sign of its commitment towards “protection of women” and its pro-women approach. The party as well as the Pinarayi government have tried to attribute the delay in releasing the Hema report to the long time it took to publish it, the orders of the committee itself and the legal battle to stop it being made public. Addressing the media Monday, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said the Left has always backed rights for women, including those in the film industry. `We have to hold on to the Left approach which is pro-women. The government has a clear stand that, if there is an offence, we will take action,’’ he said. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan has said the government has nothing to hide when it comes to the Hema report. “As the revelations emerge, many people will have to quit. We will also implement whatever the court directive is on the Hema report. But the media is engaged in a campaign against the government in the guise of the report,’’ he said.
