CPI(M) Faces Embarrassment Over Mishandling of Party Leader’s Final Journey

The CPI(M), leading the Kerala Government, faced a public embarrassment on Monday as family members of a 95-year-old party leader clashed over his final arrangements. M M Lawrence, a former MP and central committee member, passed away on Saturday. As party leaders prepared to pay their respects, a dispute erupted between Lawrence’s elder son, Sajeevan, and daughter, Asha.

Sajeevan, a party supporter and businessman, insisted that his father’s body be handed over to the Government Medical College in Kalamassery for anatomical studies. In contrast, Asha wanted her father to be buried according to Catholic rites. “We buried our mother with Catholic rituals. It’s proper to give our father the same privilege,” Asha said tearfully, arguing that Lawrence never expressed a desire for his body to be donated.

The situation escalated when Sajeevan and CPI(M) Red Volunteers physically assaulted Asha and her son, Milan. Asha then sought intervention from the Kerala High Court, which ordered the Medical College to keep the body in the mortuary until further instructions.

Sajeevan claimed that Lawrence had told him to donate his body to the Medical College, but no such request appeared in Lawrence’s published works. In response to the criticism, Sajeevan and his comrades blamed the RSS and Sangh Parivar, despite the RSS’s only connection being that Krishna Raj, a lawyer representing Asha, had previously worked with them.

Sajeevan publicly insulted Krishna Raj, calling him names like “Gestapo,” further damaging the CPI(M)’s image. Veteran Marxist leader Shaji Pandyala commented on the incident, stating it reflects the party’s disintegration. He noted that past leaders received dignified funerals, highlighting the contrast in handling this case.

CPI(M) supporters believe the party could have managed the situation more effectively, avoiding public embarrassment.