Kaapa-accused CPM man externed

Kottayam: In a major embarrassment to CPM, a Kaapa case accused, who was welcomed by party leaders including minister Veena George, was externed from Pathanamthitta district. DYFI Malayalappuzha regional committee vice-president Sharan Chandran was externed for a year from Feb 7 by Pathanamthitta district police chief VG Vinod Kumar.Chandran, along with 60 others who crossed over from BJP, joined CPM at Kumbazha in July last year in the presence of George and the then CPM district secretary KP Udyabhanu. The minister and other leaders had welcomed the new joinees by garlanding them. Chandran had come out of jail just a week before joining CPM. Police clarified that Chandran was an accused in several cases. After joining CPM, he celebrated his birthday by cutting a cake in the middle of a busy road near Malayalappuzha police station, and it had become a controversy. Several wanted criminals participated in that function. CPM was of the view that there was nothing wrong with accepting those with criminal backgrounds if they reformed themselves.Meanwhile, CPM Pathanamthitta district secretary Raju Abraham said that the Kaapa action was for cases before Chandran joined CPM. "The party won't interfere in the affairs of those involved in cases. Being accused in cases is not a barrier to joining the party. The party won't protect them. No one should join the party thinking that they can escape from their cases," he said. Mahatma Gandhi was also an accused in several cases, he added.