Thiruvananthapuram, August 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Kerala’s political landscape is witnessing an ironic turn, with the controversies that once kept former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy under sustained political pressure now being juxtaposed with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation involving Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter, Veena Vijayan.
For nearly a decade, the solar controversy remained one of the most damaging political issues surrounding Chandy and became a major weapon for the CPI(M) against the Congress-led government.
The controversy gained momentum in 2014, when allegations made by solar case accused Saritha S. Nair became a central issue in Kerala politics. The allegations received extensive attention through social media networks sympathetic to the Left and continued to weigh heavily on Chandy’s political standing.
Chandy, however, appeared before the judicial commission appointed by his own government and gave evidence, facing questioning as the controversy intensified.
The issue retained political significance after the LDF came to power in 2016 under Vijayan. On November 9, 2017, Vijayan convened a special one-day Assembly session to table and discuss the report of the Justice G. Sivarajan Commission, which contained serious allegations against Chandy and his government.
The solar controversy subsequently remained part of the political narrative surrounding the Congress and Chandy during the 2021 Assembly election, which ended with Vijayan securing a second consecutive term as Chief Minister.
The political trajectory changed further as Chandy’s health deteriorated. The allegations that had dogged him for years came under renewed scrutiny, and he was eventually cleared of the charges, according to the source material.
Chandy’s death was followed by an unprecedented public outpouring across political and social sections of Kerala. The scale of his final farewell became a powerful demonstration of the public affection he continued to command despite the prolonged controversy.
The political equation has since taken a different shape. The Left has suffered a major electoral setback, while the ED investigation involving Veena Vijayan has emerged as a significant challenge for the CPI(M) government.
Recent findings by the central agency, including its description of certain transactions as allegedly involving hawala, have intensified political scrutiny of the case. Vijayan has consistently maintained that he has nothing to fear and that his hands are clean.
The CPI(M) state leadership is preparing to confront the ED politically and portray the investigation as part of a broader battle with the central agency.
The emerging question in Kerala politics is whether Vijayan can withstand the investigation and allegations as Chandy ultimately survived the long political and legal scrutiny surrounding the solar controversy.
If the allegations against Vijayan’s political camp acquire legal substance and his defence comes under sustained pressure, the consequences could extend beyond the chief minister and his family, potentially creating a wider crisis for the CPI(M) in Kerala.
Whether the political wheel has indeed completed its turn — or is only halfway through another cycle — remains an open question.
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