Old foes to sweat it out in Dharmadam

THALASSERRY: It’s the old foes to sweat it out in the battleground of Dharmadam - CPM strongman Pinarayi Vijayan and KPCC executive committee member Mambaram Divakaran. They share many things in common—both are localites (Pinarayi is hardly 2.5 km from Mambaram), studied in Government HSS Peralassery and Thalassery Brennen College in the same period and belongs to the same political genre of ‘Kannur style of politics’.

Mambaram Divakaran, aged 65, comes second only to K. Sudhakaran in Kannur Congress for his style of functioning. “He had a set of party workers in his hey days in the 1973-82 period who were capable of taking on CPM physically. The attack on Congress leader Mambaram Madhavan allegedly by CPM workers in Pinarayi in 1973 set off a spate of bloodshed between CPM and Congress claiming the lives of many in Pinarayi, Mambaram, Vengad and Peralassery areas. Mr Vijayan, 72, then CPM Kannur district secretariat member, was the right hand of powerful district secretary M.V Raghavan. On the other side, Congress was led by Mr Divakaran,” a CPM insider confided to DC.

Kolarakutty Raghavan, a beedi worker, was killed on June 5, 1976, after a bomb was hurled on a beedi manufacturing unit at Panthakkapara in Pinarayi allegedly by Congress workers. Mr Divakaran was arrested in the case as the first accused and sent to seven years in prison in 1982.   “I was framed in the case. The slain Raghavan was my friend,” Mr Divakaran told DC.

The slugfest between the two reached its peak during those years triggering Mr Vijayan to openly challenge the latter that he would not be allowed to go via Pinarayi. But a defiant Mr Divakaran took up the challenge and came down to Pinarayi and spoke before the public.

So, how is the relation between the two now?  “Now, we use to exchange a smile. Earlier we were the fiercest foes,” says Mr Divakaran. This is the second time he is contesting in Dharmadam. Last time, he lost by a margin of 15,162 votes.  “If poll rigging is averted, Congress will wrest the seat,” Mr Divakaran exudes confidence. But the CPM rules all the eight panchayats in the constituency.