KOZHIKODE: Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan has launched a sharp critique against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing him of embodying dual political identity by calling him an “Ardhanareeswaran”- a deity symbolising a fusion of male and female forms. Muraleedharan elaborated that Pinarayi is “half BJP and half CPM,” suggesting a convergence of ideologies that undermines the Left’s proclaimed secular stance.

The controversy intensified following IAS officer Divya S Iyer’s Instagram post praising K K Ragesh, the newly appointed CPM Kannur district secretary and former private secretary to the CM. Muraleedharan criticised the CM for endorsing a civil servant’s public commendation of a political figure, arguing that such actions breach civil service norms and compromise administrative neutrality. In response, Ragesh defended Divya S Iyer, expressing regret over the backlash she faced for her supportive remarks.

Addressing issues of gender sensitivity, Muraleedharan referenced the brutal 2012 murder of T P Chandrasekharan, highlighting that both his mother and wife are women who suffered immense loss. He said Pinarayi Vijayan lacked moral authority to discuss femininity, especially given the state’s history of political violence.