In Kerala, political memory runs deep — and the state's current moment offers a striking study in how power, allegation, and accountability can reverse roles across a decade. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into Veena Vijayan, daughter of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has drawn inevitable comparisons to the solar scam that haunted the late Oommen Chandy for years before his eventual exoneration.

The Solar Scam That Shadowed Chandy

Beginning in 2014, allegations raised by solar scam accused Saritha S. Nair became one of the most potent political weapons deployed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) against Chandy's government. Sensational insinuations, amplified through social media networks sympathetic to the Left, kept the controversy alive and steadily eroded the political ground beneath the then-Chief Minister.

Chandy, notably, chose to confront the allegations head-on. He appeared before the judicial commission appointed by his own government and gave evidence — subjecting himself to questioning at the very peak of the controversy. It was a decision that would later define how history judged him.

How the LDF Kept the Issue Alive

The solar controversy did not fade when Vijayan swept to power in 2016. His government moved to place the Justice G. Sivarajan Commission report before the Assembly. On 9 November 2017, Vijayan convened a special one-day session of the House to table and discuss the report, which contained serious allegations against Chandy and his administration — giving the controversy a fresh political lease of life under the new Left Democratic Front (LDF) regime.

The solar issue was deployed again during the 2021 Assembly election, figuring prominently in the campaign against Chandy and the Indian National Congress (Congress). Vijayan secured a second consecutive term — a historic achievement in Kerala politics.

Chandy's Exoneration and the Reckoning That Followed

As Chandy's health deteriorated in his final years, the allegations that had trailed him for nearly a decade came under renewed legal scrutiny. He was eventually cleared of the charges — a verdict that left a deeply uncomfortable question about the political cost he had paid before his name was finally restored.

When Chandy died, Kerala witnessed an extraordinary public outpouring that cut across political and social boundaries. The scale of the farewell was widely read as evidence that the political narrative constructed around him had not extinguished the public affection he commanded.

Vijayan Now Faces His Own ED Reckoning

The political script has since acquired a sharp ironic edge. The LDF suffered a historic electoral setback, and the ED investigation involving Veena Vijayan has opened an increasingly difficult chapter for the former Chief Minister. The agency's latest findings, including its description of certain transactions as allegedly involving hawala, have placed the political defence surrounding the case under renewed pressure.

Vijayan has repeatedly maintained that he has nothing to fear and that his hands are clean. But as fresh developments emerge, the credibility of that defence is itself becoming a subject of political debate. The CPI(M) state leadership is reportedly preparing to take the ED head-on politically, seeking to frame the investigation as a larger battle against the central agency.

What Happens Next Could Define the CPI(M)'s Future in Kerala

The question now is whether Vijayan will emerge from this controversy as unscathed as Chandy eventually did — after years of political and legal pressure. The stakes, however, are arguably higher. If the allegations gain legal traction and the defence fails to hold, the CPI(M) in Kerala could face a political crisis of a magnitude far greater than its recent electoral setback.

The political wheel may have turned in Kerala — but whether it completes its full circle remains an open question with consequences that extend well beyond the fate of one political family.