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Mathew had links with Communists

D Jose in Trivandrum

Union home ministry official Thomas Mathew, who was suspended on Tuesday for his alleged involvement in the Tehelka expose, has been an anti-establishment figure since his college days, with links with the Naxalite movement in Kerala.

He worked closely with former Naxalite leader K Venu for the formation of Janasanskriti and Janakeeya Samskarikavedi, Naxalite outfits active in Kerala since the early 1970s.

He played a key role in establishing the Delhi units of these two organisations while serving in the Union government, Venu told rediff.com

Mathew actively campaigned against Indira Gandhi when she imposed the Emergency.

His association with the Marxist-Leninist outfit had caused him problems when he was being considered for appointment to the central cadre. His name was cleared only after vigilance inquiries.

But he remained under surveillance by intelligence agencies and was kept away from strategic positions during Rajiv Gandhi's term as prime minister.

An efficient administrator, he was rehabilitated when the United Front government led by V P Singh came to power.

Later, he tilted towards Dalit politics. He was posted as an officer on special duty in the railway ministry when Ram Vilas Paswan headed it. He maintained contact with Bahujan Samaj Party leader Kanshi Ram.

Mathew also wrote a book on Dr B R Ambedkar, in which he praised Venu for transforming him from a Naxalite to a Dalit sympathiser. Venu wrote the introduction to the book.

His Naxalite links brought him close to Communist Party of India-Marxist leaders in Kerala and Delhi.

State BJP leaders allege that Mathew worked in tandem with tehelka.com reporters to dislodge the Vajpayee government with the support of the CPI-M and other Left parties.

Venu felt that Mathew's anti-establishment leanings may have prompted him to help the tehelka.com reporters. The former Naxalite leader said he had no doubt about Mathew's integrity. "He is totally committed to his ideology and ready to sacrifice anything to uphold it," he added.

Several members of Mathew's family at Manjadi village near Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala too have close links with the CPI-M. His brother-in-law, C M P Pennukkara, is a CPI-M leader in central Travancore.

One of his two sisters was elected to the Alappuzha district council last September.

Mathew came in contact with the Naxalite movement through his association with the CPI-M student organisation while studying at the S B School in Tiruvalla. He emerged as a student leader while doing his degree at Marthoma College at Thiruvalla. He left Kerala for Delhi 25 years ago.

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