One may find many jute bags and vessels in the living room of C.C. Mukundhan's house during the rainy season. The vessels are used to collect the water that pours through his house's leaky roof when it rains. The jute bags help to absorb it once the vessels are full. He took a loan for his daughter's wedding, and impending arrears mean the said property is prone to foreclosure by a bank. Making things worse for the household, a recent accident has confined Mukundhan to his bed for a fortnight. This scenario is nothing unheard of in India, but what makes the story stand out is the fact that C.C. Mukundhan is an incumbent MLA!
The Communist Party of India's (CPI) Mukundhan defeated his nearest rival, Sunil Laloor of Congress, by an imposing majority of 28,431 votes from Thrissur district's Nattika constituency in 2021. Four years down the line, Mukundhan's status as the local MLA is the only factor preventing a local bank from evicting his family from their leaky house over loan arrears. He has received several letters from the bank informing him about this situation.
Mukundhan's dilapidated house is just a kilometre away from the Anthikad intersection in Thrissur. He had reportedly taken a loan of ₹6 lakh from Karamukku Cooperative Bank when his daughter got married a decade ago. The loan was renewed once before he stood for the Assembly elections. Now, he owes the bank a hefty sum of ₹18.75 lakh.
But what about his MLA's remuneration and allowances? According to Malayalam media reports, Mukundhan has another pending bank loan amounting to ₹3 lakhs. He also accepted a car loan of ₹10 lakhs offered by the Kerala government to its legislators, unaware of the financial challenges that lay ahead. This loan now requires him to make monthly repayments of ₹28,000. As a result, the MLA is left to manage the household with a paltry pension he receives from his former profession before becoming a full-time political worker. His two daughters work temporary jobs, Mathrubhumi said.
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The MLA suffered a serious injury to his right leg on Wednesday after slipping on rainwater inside his house. He fell when he returned home around midnight after paying his last respects to the late Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, a Mathrubhumi report said. He will need complete rest for 15 days. Due to the poor condition of the house, the family was sleeping in the hall; he also slipped and fell while entering the hall that was used as a bedroom. The image of the MLA resting in a hall with a cushion under his leg has since gone viral on the internet.
According to Kerala-based media reports, the obvious assistance didn't reach the MLA's family as he ensured that his perils never reached the Assembly. The threat from the bank and his financing constraints were largely unknown to his party or the government. However, the word did get out after doctors prescribed him bed rest. Many of the well-wishers who reached his doorstep were shocked to learn the reality, and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reportedly spoke to him over the phone. The CPI district leadership has started action to help their comrade out of the tricky situation, reports added.
