Newsmaker | Over a decade after expulsion, P Sasi back as Kerala CM political secretary

Sasi, a confidant of Pinarayi Vijayan, was reinducted in the CPI(M) in 2018 after a court dismissed the sexual misconduct charges against him

CPI(M) state committee member P Sasi

The CPI(M) on Tuesday chose its state committee member P Sasi to be the next political secretary of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. A confidant of Vijayan, Sasi steps into the crucial post, which acts as a link between the party and the chief minister, for a second stint after his predecessor Puthalath Dinesan was appointed the editor of party daily Deshabhimani.

Sasi had served as the political secretary of former Chief Minister EK Nayanar from 1996 to 2001. During that tenure, he maintained a firm control over the home ministry. At the time, a section in the CPI(M) criticised him for allegedly shielding Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader PK Kunhalikutty in the ice-cream parlour case.

The veteran leader was expelled from the party in 2011 over allegations of sexual misconduct. At the time, he was the Kannur district secretary. Despite that, he maintained a good rapport with the party leadership and seven years later he returned to the CPI(M) after a court dismissed the charges against him.

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A practising lawyer, Sasi has represented the party in several cases and was back in the Kannur district committee in 2019. At the CPI(M)’s state conference in March, he was elected to the state committee. CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan justified his elevation, saying that Sasi had rectified his mistake and there was nothing wrong with his induction into the committee.

State Mahila Congress president Bindu Krishna lashed out at the CPI(M) over its “highly deplorable” decision to appoint the veteran leader as the CM’s political secretary. “Sasi faced complaints related to sexual misconduct from within the party.

Two leaders, one of them a party legislator, had complained against him,” she said, and added sarcastically, “His appointment shows how the CPI(M) is empowering women and upholding Renaissance values.”