Sabarimala gold theft case: Fall from grace for ex-TDB chief Padmakumar from Pathanamthitta

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Crisis has engulfed the ruling CPM with the arrest of its senior leader A Padmakumar in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Padmakumar, the eighth accused in the case, is currently a member of the partys Pathanamthitta district committee. The 68-year-old former MLA was the partys strong leader in the district when he was appointed president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). But he failed to rise to the expectations of the government and the party in implementing the 2018 Supreme Court verdict allowing entry of women of all ages to the Sabarimala shrine. His public comment that no woman in my family (in the restricted age group) would visit the shrine had put Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the party on the defensive. After the completion of his tenure at TDB, the party did not assign Padmakumar with important positions except the district secretariat membership. In March this year, Padmakumar again put the party in trouble, when he aired resentment over the inclusion of Health Minister Veena George, much junior to him, into the partys state committee. He told mediapersons that organisational experience should be considered while elevating leaders to higher forums of the party. Party state secretary M V Govindan said Padmakumars open remarks were against partys discipline. He was excluded from the partys district secretariat after the state conference meeting this March. A native of Aranmula, Padmakumar started his political career during student days and later held several positions in the partys youth wing and feeder organisations. He represented the Aranmula constituency in the assembly from 1991 to 1996.