Former LDF-independent MLA Karat Razak comes out against CPI M

Kozhikode(Kerala), Oct 26 (PTI) In an indication of his severed ties with the ruling CPI(M), former independent MLA Karat Razak strongly criticized the Left party on Saturday, alleging it had failed to address his complaints and hinting at a possible alliance with dissident MLA P V Anvar.


Razak also targeted PWD Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, accusing him of undermining the development projects he initiated during his tenure as Koduvally MLA.



Speaking at a press conference here, Razak alleged that Riyas, who is the son-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, collaborated with local Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and CPI(M) leaders to sabotage key initiatives, including the Siraj Highway and underpass projects.



He also claimed that he had submitted two letters to the CPI(M) leadership requesting inquiries into his defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections and the undermining of development projects, but received no response.



"If these issues remain unresolved, I will have to consider other options. However, I will wait for a week," he said.



At the same time the former IUML leader made it clear he would never join the League.



"The workers of IUML are good people but I could not agree with the stand of some of its leaders. Hence I would never return to that party," he said.



Razak, a local leader of IUML switched to the LDF, contested as an independent candidate and won from Koduvally, a known-IUML bastion, in the 2016 assembly polls.



In 2021, he was defeated by former minister and Muslim League leader M K Muneer.



He was caught in a controversy after his name surfaced in the sensational Kerala gold smuggling case in 2020.



Recently, when Anvar levelled allegations against the Chief Minister's political secretary and others, Razak had supported him but later backtracked from his stand.



The discontent expressed by another Left independent, after P V Anvar, could pose a problem for the CPI(M) amidst the campaigns for the November 13 bypolls in the state.



Razak said he would float a new party or join another outfit.



"I have met P V Anvar MLA, who is a close friend of mine. He requested me to join his party. However, I told him to wait," he added.



Anvar, the MLA from Nilambur constituency, recently formed a new political collective Democratic Movement of Kerala (DMK) after leaving the ruling Left coalition.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)