The notice demands the withdrawal of Kunhikrishnan's book, which elaborates on these allegations, and compensation. Kunhikrishnan, who defeated Madhusoodanan in the 2026 Assembly elections as a UDF-backed Independent, ending the CPI(M)'s long hold on the constituency, claims that senior CPI(M) leaders continue to make provocative statements against him and his supporters, citing recent remarks by a district secretary as inciting violence. Madhusoodanan has also filed an election petition challenging the results, alleging false propaganda, which is currently pending admission in the High Court.

The notice demands the withdrawal of Kunhikrishnan's book, which elaborates on these allegations, and compensation. Kunhikrishnan, who defeated Madhusoodanan in the 2026 Assembly elections as a UDF-backed Independent, ending the CPI(M)'s long hold on the constituency, claims that senior CPI(M) leaders continue to make provocative statements against him and his supporters, citing recent remarks by a district secretary as inciting violence. Madhusoodanan has also filed an election petition challenging the results, alleging false propaganda, which is currently pending admission in the High Court.

The notice demands the withdrawal of Kunhikrishnan's book, which elaborates on these allegations, and compensation. Kunhikrishnan, who defeated Madhusoodanan in the 2026 Assembly elections as a UDF-backed Independent, ending the CPI(M)'s long hold on the constituency, claims that senior CPI(M) leaders continue to make provocative statements against him and his supporters, citing recent remarks by a district secretary as inciting violence. Madhusoodanan has also filed an election petition challenging the results, alleging false propaganda, which is currently pending admission in the High Court.

Former Payyannur MLA and CPI(M) leader T.I. Madhusoodanan has sent a legal notice to Payyannur MLA V. Kunhikrishnan, who was expelled from the CPI(M) after publicly alleging financial irregularities in the party, including the alleged misappropriation of the C.V. Dhanaraj Martyrs' Fund and Madhusoodanan's alleged role in it.

Kunhikrishnan later published a book, 'Nethruthwathe Anikal Thiruthanam' (The Cadres Should Correct the Leadership), elaborating on the allegations. In the 2026 Kerala Assembly election, Kunhikrishnan contested the Payyannur seat as a UDF-backed Independent and defeated incumbent Madhusoodanan by 7,487 votes, securing about 76,640 votes against his former party colleague's tally of 69,153. The victory ended the CPI(M)'s long-held dominance in the constituency.

Kunhikrishnan alleges that despite the electoral defeat, senior CPI(M) leaders continue to make provocative remarks targeting him and his supporters. On August 6, CPI(M) Kannur district secretary K.K. Ragesh said that the party had the capability "not only to demolish the shed in Payyannur but also to uproot everything beneath it."

Ragesh made the remark while denying the CPI(M)'s involvement in the burning of a shrimp shed belonging to Purushothaman, a supporter of Kunhikrishnan. The LDF had held a march to the DySP office in connection with the case involving the burning of T. Purushothaman's shed, demanding the arrest of the “real” culprits.

In a conversation with THE WEEK, Kunhikrishnan discusses the latest legal notice and what he describes as the CPI(M) leadership's continued use of dog-whistle rhetoric against him and his supporters.

Q. What are your follow-up steps after receiving this legal notice? What reply has been given?

A: Our only responsibility is to respond to the legal notice. The response simply denies the allegations raised by their lawyer. There is no need to provide any elaborate explanation at this stage. If a case is filed, those matters can be explained before the court. For the legal notice, we have merely denied all the allegations they made.

Q: Does the legal notice also demand that the book be withdrawn?

A: Yes. It demands that the book be withdrawn, that an apology be issued, and that ₹1 crore be paid as compensation.

Q: Apart from this, didn't Madhusoodanan also file an election petition seeking to set aside the result in the Payyannur Assembly constituency, alleging that you spread false propaganda against him during the election campaign?

A: Yes, that has been filed in the High Court.

Q: What's the status of that case?

A: As far as I understand, it has not yet been admitted. It has been kept pending because certain defects need to be rectified.

Q: It's been two or three months since you became an MLA. How has it been functioning in that capacity? Do you have the freedom to work effectively there?

A: It's not that I have no freedom to work. However, LDF members, especially those from the CPI(M), have not been very cooperative.

Q: In what way have they not cooperated?

A: Matters involving panchayats usually require coordination with the MLA. If panchayats need to secure anything from the government, it is generally possible only through the MLA. There has been a lack of engagement in that regard. That's all.

Q: Earlier there were attacks on your supporters as well. Is that still continuing?

A: I wouldn't say it is continuing in the same way, but it has not completely stopped either. The destruction of Purushothaman's [a former CPI(M) member who was expelled from the party after supporting Kunhikrishnan] shrimp farm is part of that pattern of violence.

There were two recent incidents that encouraged such acts of violence. First, under the leadership of T.I. Madhusoodanan, a press conference was recently held inside a police station compound (after he went to submit a petition to the DySP). The statements made by him at that press conference were highly provocative.

Yesterday's DYFI march to the DySP's office was a continuation of that.

While inaugurating the march, district secretary K.K. Ragesh made an even more provocative speech. It was a speech that encouraged violence and incited party workers to commit acts of violence.

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