Kerala MLA Anvar Claims Mamata Banerjee Advised His Resignation

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 13 (NationPress) Immediately after resigning from his position as a legislator, Independent-backed Left legislator P.V. Anvar stated on Monday that it was Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal and leader of the Trinamool Congress, who advised him to resign.

“I did not travel to Kolkata with the intention of resigning and informed Mamata Banerjee that the primary issue in Kerala is the man-animal conflict, which is also a significant concern nationwide. I urged her to consider having the TMC raise this matter in Parliament. The TMC indicated that if I cooperated with them, they would certainly bring this issue to Parliament for necessary amendments to the Forest Act,” Anvar explained.

“Consequently, I agreed to act as the TMC coordinator in Kerala, but she recommended that it would be best for me to resign. I consulted my supporters back home; while some encouraged me to remain as a legislator, they ultimately allowed me to make the decision. On the 11th, I resolved to resign. I sent an email to the Speaker, officially resigning as a legislator, and on Monday, I personally delivered my resignation. The rules state plainly that a legislator must submit a written resignation, which I have fulfilled,” Anvar added, mentioning that he will not contest the upcoming Nilambur by-election.

“In the best interest of all, I will recommend the current president of the Malappuram district Congress committee, V.S. Joy, as the candidate. From this point on, I will support the Congress-led UDF. My only objective is to bring down the Vijayan government,” Anvar stated.

“Now that I have resigned, I will take my membership in TMC,” Anvar declared. He also indicated that P. Sasi, the political secretary to CM Vijayan, had urged him to raise allegations of Rs 150 crore against the Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan in the Assembly. “It was Sasi who suggested that he would secure permission from the Speaker, allowing me to present this allegation against Satheesan. On behalf of the people of Kerala, I express my apologies to Satheesan for making this allegation and I kindly request him to accept my apologies,” Anvar said.

He further noted that a faction within the CPI(M) had encouraged him to raise accusations against the police and Sasi to target CM Vijayan. “After I made the allegations, those who prompted me became untraceable. I will not disclose who these leaders are,” stated Anvar.

Earlier, Anvar arrived at the office of Speaker A.N. Shamseer and submitted his resignation letter. Interestingly, rumors regarding his resignation first emerged last week when he flew to Kolkata to meet with Mamata Banerjee and other TMC leaders.

On Sunday, he took to social media to announce that he would make significant announcements on Monday. True to his word, he drove from the legislator’s hostel with the MLA board of his vehicle masked. After spending a brief time with the Speaker, he submitted his resignation, informing him of his decision.

His resignation was anticipated after the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata declared that Anvar had been appointed as the coordinator of TMC in Kerala. Following this, speculation arose that the Vijayan-led Left would take steps to disqualify him as a legislator.

By choosing to shift allegiances, Anvar's resignation now necessitates a by-election, given that the current Assembly term has over a year remaining.

Anvar initially won as a Left-backed Independent legislator in 2016 from the Nilambur constituency in Malappuram and retained his seat in 2021. However, since September of last year, he has become a vocal critic of CM Vijayan and has consistently attacked him.

Things escalated last week when Anvar was arrested and spent a day in jail for damaging a forest office. He led protests following the fatal incident of a man being trampled to death by a wild elephant in his constituency. He was released on bail the following day.

M.V. Govindan, the State CPI(M) secretary, responded to Anvar’s recent meeting with the Speaker, stating that there is no doubt he is heading towards the UDF, as there are no other options available to him. “His resignation will not affect Kerala politics,” Govindan concluded.