A. Jayashankar (born 21 September 1962) is an Indian lawyer, social critic, political analyst, and journalist from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

who is a former member of the

Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...

. He is known for his sarcastic articles published in ''

Madhyamam Weekly ''Madhyamam Azhchappathippu'' or ''Madhyamam Weekly'' is a weekly Malayalam–language cultural magazine published by the Madhyamam Group from Kozhikode, India. References External links Official website {{Malayalam journalism 1998 esta ...

'' under the pseudonym K. Rajeshwari. He anchored the weekly news analysing show ''Varanthyam'' in the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

news channel

Indiavision Indiavision was an Indian pay television news channel based at Kochi, Kerala, India. It broadcast in Malayalam. History Indiavision was launched on 14 July 2003. The network launched a second channel, YES Indiavision (Youth, Entertainment & Spo ...

. He appears as an analyst on various Malayalam TV networks and is popular for attacking

CPI(M) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the nati ...

leaders while backing CPI(M). He has often made remarks against several celebrities like

Arundhati Roy Suzanna Arundhati Roy (born 24 November 1961) is an Indian author best known for her novel ''The God of Small Things'' (1997), which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. S ...

, Speaker of the

Kerala Legislative Assembly The Kerala Legislative Assembly, popularly known as the Kerala Niyamasabha, is the State Assembly of Kerala, one of the 28 states in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives. Each elected member represents one of the 140 c ...

Shri

M. B. Rajesh M. B. Rajesh (born 12 March 1971) is an Indian politician who has served as the State Minister for Local Self-Governments and Excise of Kerala, since 2022. He previously served as the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2021 to 20 ...

Early life

Jayashankar was born in 1962 to Paamadath Vasudevan Pillai and Kalarikkal Saudamini. He studied in Mar Athanasius High School, Nedumbassery,

Union Christian College, Aluva Union Christian College, Aluva (known as UC College) is a college affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. It is one of the earliest colleges in India to be established and managed by Indian Christians. It was founded in 1921 by four ...

, and

Government Law College, Ernakulam The Government Law College, Ernakulam, also known as His Highness the Maharajas Government Law College, Ernakulam is an prestigious institution for undergraduate and post-graduate legal education in , Kerala, India. Founded in 1874, it is the ...

. He obtained post-graduation in Law and History with top ranks. Working as a lawyer since 1989. Served as Government Pleader in the

Kerala High Court The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the High Court has the power to issu ...

from 1996 to 2000. At the age of 51, he married Dr. Jaya in February 2014.

Works

He had served as a Government Pleader from 1996 to 2000. He is known for his sarcastic articles published in ''

'' under the pseudonym Rajeshwari. He anchored a weekly news analyzing television show ''Varanthyam'' in the

news channel

. He appears as a political analyst in various Malayalam television networks. Jayashankar authored two books: ''Communist Bharanavum Vimochana Samaravum'', based on the First E. M. S. Namboodiripad ministry and its dismissal, and ''Casting Manthrisabha'', about the downfall of the Second K. Karunakaran ministry, a short-lived coalition government which survived just 81 days in Kerala with the help of

casting vote A casting vote is a vote that someone may exercise to resolve a tied vote in a deliberative body. A casting vote is typically by the presiding officer of a council, legislative body, committee, etc., and may only be exercised to break a deadlock ...

. He was a member of the

(CPI) since 1986 and a member of CPI affiliated lawyers associations Kerala High Court Advocates' Branch Committee and the Indian Association of Lawyers. He was removed from the CPI membership with effect from July 20, 2021. Instead of renewing the membership, the party returned the Rs 1330 he paid as a levy, via Google Pay. The decision was taken after informing the state leadership and some senior leaders in CPI. The CPI Kerala state executive later cancelled the decision to expel Adv A Jayashankar from the organisation

Bibliography

* ''Communist Bharanavum Vimochana Samaravum'' (Mathrubhumi Books, 2012) * ''Casting Manthrisabha'' (Mathrubhumi Books, 2015)

Filmography

* 2023: ''Neru'' (News hour guest) * 2014: ''Varanthyam'' (TV show) on

– Anchor * 2014: ''

Tamaar Padaar ''Tamaar Padaar'' () is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy film written and directed by Dileesh Nair and produced by M. Renjith through the company Rejaputhra Visual Media. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Baburaj, and Chemban Vino ...

'' (film) – Narrator

Opinion

* ''Opinion on various political subjects'' (YouTube, Jayashankar view) He maintains a youTube Page on various subjects

References

External links

* Living people People from Aluva Journalists from Kerala Malayali people Indian television presenters 1962 births {{India-journalist-stub