In a significant development, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) has reportedly taken steps to settle a loan liability of approximately ₹60 lakh, previously owed by N.M. Vijayan, the former treasurer of the Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC). This action comes more than nine months after Vijayan tragically took his own life at an urban cooperative bank in Sulthan Bathery.
The move follows closely on the heels of Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s recent visit to the constituency, which had drawn considerable attention to the family’s plight.
Earlier, Vijayan’s family members had issued a stark warning, threatening a hunger strike if the hefty loan was not cleared. They asserted that Vijayan had incurred these debts primarily to support the party, and it was even alleged that the land documents of their family home had been pledged to the bank as collateral.
The tragedy unfolded on December 25, 2024, when Vijayan and his son Jijesh attempted suicide, both succumbing two days later. A poignant suicide note left behind by Vijayan reportedly implicated prominent Congress leaders—I.C. Balakrishnan (MLA), DCC president N.D. Appachan, and leaders K.K. Gopinathan and P.V. Balachandran. The note accused them of allegedly coercing him into accepting payments from job applicants within a cooperative bank under the party’s influence, which ultimately plunged him into severe financial distress.
Further compounding the family’s anguish, Padmaja Vijesh, Vijayan’s daughter-in-law, was discovered with a slit wrist on September 12. This occurred mere hours after she had spoken to the media, criticizing the Congress leadership for what she perceived as a betrayal in not resolving Vijayan’s debts. Her emotional appeal followed the death of Jose Nelledam, a Mullankolli panchayat member, who was found dead in a pond the previous day. Ms. Vijesh had also recently met with the Chief Minister to highlight her family’s struggle.
Family Awaits Official Bank Confirmation
On Wednesday, Ms. Vijesh informed media outlets that despite reports, her family had yet to receive any official communication from the bank confirming the clearance of the liabilities.
Sources indicate that the party had previously provided the family with ₹10 lakh to settle a loan from a different financial institution and an additional ₹20 lakh for their living expenses.
KPCC president Sunny Joseph had also recently publicly assured that the party would take definitive steps to address the outstanding liabilities.
It is understood that Vijayan initially took a ₹10 lakh loan from the bank in 2007. This amount progressively increased to ₹40 lakh through conversions to business and later agricultural loans. However, after 2021, he was reportedly unable to make any payments towards the debt, leading to the escalating crisis.