The 'PR representative' in the Chief Minister's controversial interview, T D Subramanian, is a former SFI leader and the son of CPM leader T K Devakumar.
Subramanian, who was part of a team led by national election strategist Prashanth Kishore, has also worked for various national parties. He also played a crucial role in politically rebranding a key ally of the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Read more: All about the PR controversy haunting Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
Later, Subramanian served as the head of the strategy research team at I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee), the election strategy firm helmed by Prashanth Kishore. During this time, he contributed to election strategies for multiple political parties.
In 2019, he worked with Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi and later with Mamata Banerjee in Bengal. He was also part of the team strategising for Jaganmohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh, the DMK in Tamil Nadu, the AAP in Goa, and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.
When Prashanth Kishore launched his political party, Subramanian was involved in its preparatory works. He is also friends with Vineeth Handa, the founder and CEO of the PR agency Kaizzen. Nikhil Pavithran, Vice President of Kaizzen, is a native of Mahe.
Before leaving I-PAC, when Kishore formed his own political outfit, Subramanian was actively involved in the work to revitalise Congress. He then joined the communications wing of Reliance Group.
Despite his corporate role, Subramanian has reportedly maintained his political connections from his time at I-PAC. As the son of former Harippad MLA TK Devakumar, he also remains close to several CPM leaders. It was this connection that helped him facilitate the controversial interview with Pinarayi Vijayan when the Chief Minister was in Delhi for a party politburo meeting.
Subramanian also has a history of political involvement, having served as the SFI unit secretary at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Secunderabad. In 2021, he was active in Kerala during a key political realignment and later shifted his focus to national politics as a strategist.
