Feb. 19: The woman missing senior CPM leader W.R. Varadarajan was alleged to have had an extramarital affair with also filed a complaint with the party’s Tamil Nadu leadership, sources confirmed today.
Varadarajan, 64, has been missing since February 11, five days after he was removed from all party posts following a complaint from his wife Saraswati that he was having an extramarital affair.
Police have formed a special team to trace the leader but said neither they nor his family had yet any clue regarding his whereabouts.
Investigators are examining the two unsigned notes, purportedly written by Varadarajan, which have sparked alarm because of their fatalistic content.
CPM sources today revealed that the other woman, about whom not much is known, had also filed a complaint with the Tamil Nadu state committee. The complaint accused Varadarajan of not fulfilling his “promise” of marriage and settling down with her.
“It appears even his wife is not sure about her name, though he had been staying away from home for long stints without any communication with the family,” said a leader of Citu, of which Varadarajan was national secretary.
Varadarajan, a Brahmin, married Saraswati, a Dalit widow, after the death of his first wife. A qualified chartered accountant, he gave up a job with the Reserve Bank of India to pursue Left politics.
A central committee member spoke of Varadarajan’s wayward ways.
“The party has been getting a lot of complaints regarding Varadarajan. He continued with his womanising ways despite several warnings,” the member said.
Some sources, sympathetic to Varadarajan, underlined the “crucial role” played by a senior Politburo member in ousting him.
“The politburo member overlooked the sacrifices made by persons like Varadarajan in building up the party in a state like Tamil Nadu,” said a party member.
CPM leaders said such purges had taken place earlier as well. T.N. Madhavan, Citu leader and member of the Tamil Nadu state committee, was expelled after he deserted his family and moved in with another woman.
“Considering his stature, Varadarajan should have set an example,” said a CPM leader.
