Deshabhimani, the Malayalam daily and official mouthpiece of the Keralam CPM, reached readers on July 19 without its Sunday supplement after the newspaper withdrew it, officially citing “technical reasons”. CPM leader and Resident Editor M. Swaraj reiterated the same explanation to the media, but the move later triggered controversy amid reports that the supplement had contained a contentious article titled “Kallan Vijayan”, which was subsequently removed before a revised edition was distributed.
The controversy assumes significance as the supplement was primarily dedicated to late V.S. Achuthanandan, veteran CPM leader and former Chief Minister, ahead of his first death anniversary on July 21, 2025.
The edition reportedly carried several articles on Achuthanandan, whose strained relationship with CPM supremo Pinarayi Vijayan has been a subject of political discussion in Kerala for nearly two decades.
When the supplement was withheld, several gossips and rumours circulated regarding the reason behind it. Now, the actual reason has reportedly come to light. The back page of the supplement allegedly carried an article titled “Kallan Vijayan”, meaning “Vijayan, the thief”.
The CPM think tank reportedly believed that it was blasphemous towards Pinarayi Vijayan, and hence the supplement was withheld. However, CPM leaders, including Resident Editor M. Swaraj, have denied the existence of such an article.
Adding insult to injury, T.C. Rajesh has posted the full text of the controversial article on Facebook. It has pushed Resident Editor Swaraj into hot water after he advanced the “technical reasons” explanation. He and other CPM leaders are now in an unenviable position.
The Facebook post is being seen as a befitting reply to the CPM’s argument that no such article ever existed. Social media users have been discussing the article and describing it as a response to the CPM leaders’ claims.
The expunged supplement had carried several articles on V.S. Achuthanandan. The revised supplement, without the “Kallan Vijayan” article, was distributed on July 20.
The episode does not end there. K.R. Ajayan, Editor of the Deshabhimani Sunday supplement, is reportedly likely to be shown the door. When he came to the office on July 21, his office remained locked and he was not allowed to enter. The management has also sought his explanation regarding the “Kallan Vijayan” controversy.
The issue has become a major talking point on social media, where numerous sarcastic comments have appeared. “You can expunge the article, but can you expunge the screenshot?”, “Even though it has been removed from the newspaper, Facebook will not let it disappear”, and “What is the reply from those who kept saying there was no such article?” are among the comments. Another social media user remarked: “Deshabhimani drowned the story, but Facebook raised it.” Others commented: “Ajayan thrown out for the sake of Vijayan.”
