Young CPI(M) leader and Thiruvananthapuram city mayor Arya Rajendran has earned the disapproval of the party after she acted against cleaning staff who had protested being denied time to take part in an Onam celebration. Rajendran, who came into prominence in 2020 when she was elected mayor at the age of 21, had suspended seven permanent staff members and terminated the service of four temporary staffers after they had thrown away their Onam food in protest — they had themselves paid for the food. The workers belonged to CPI(M)’s trade union, CITU. CPI(M) Kerala secretary M V Govindan Master said the party does not agree with the action. This is not in tune with its policy, he said on Friday. On September 5, the cleaning staff had started work early in order to join a celebration they had organised, sources said. Even after completing their assigned work, they were given additional duty by an official of the municipal corporation’s health wing, said the sources. Unable to take part in their celebration, the workers later dumped the food in a dustbin. Taking action against the workers, Rajendran had stated: “They acted in an inhuman manner and have no right to continue in service.” The mayor’s action had evoked protests in social media, mainly on the grounds that the corporation did not have any role in the celebration and the food was arranged by the cleaning staff at their expense. CPI(M) trade union wing has demanded that the action against the cleaning staff be revoked. Before the CPI(M) state secretary denounced the mayor’s action, CPI(M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappan had tried to defend the mayor, saying that the employees should have tried some other way of protest, instead of throwing away the food. Months back, Rajendran had courted controversy over the decision to form sports teams of students based on their caste. She had then announced separate teams for “general category” students and those from the SC/ST community. She was then forced to withdraw the decision which had evoked widespread protest. CPI(M) district leadership had then intervened and urged Rajendran not to form sports teams on the basis of caste. Last week, she tied the knot with CPI(M) legislator K M Sachin Dev at a simple function held at the party state headquarters. The event was attended by several CPI(M) leaders including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Sachin Dev, who represents Balussery in Kozhikode district, is the state secretary of SFI, the student wing of CPI(M), while Arya is a member of its state committee. She is also the state president of Balasangam, the children’s wing of CPI(M).
