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Kerala’s Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan (file)
| Photo Credit: R.K. Nithin
Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has said that Kerala, under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s watch, was “no longer a safe place for women.”
Inaugurating the Congress’ march to the Secretariat here on Friday (September 6, 2024), Mr. Satheesan accused Mr. Vijayan of “lording over a criminal administration wherein women were fearful of approaching the police.”
He sought to rest his case against the government on a woman’s startling “disclosure” that three police officers in Malappuram district had exploited her in 2022.
“The survivor has publicly stated that one of the officers had cautioned her against speaking out by claiming that Mr. Vijayan was his uncle”, Mr. Satheesan said.
Mr. Satheesan said Mr. Vijayan had handed over the police reins to a “criminal clique” operating out of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
He said Left Democratic Front (LDF) Independent legislator P.V. Anvar had recently “validated” the Congress’ accusations against the CMO.
“Mr. Anvar has repeatedly assailed the CMO, Mr. Vijayan’s political secretary P. Sasi, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), M.R. Ajith Kumar, and former District Police Chief of Malappuram (and later Pathanamthitta) Sujith Das. The ruling front legislator has accused them of criminality, corruption, nepotism, using plainclothes squads to ambush gold smugglers for the contraband, murders and disappearances”, Mr. Satheesan said.
He dared Mr. Vijayan to order a CBI enquiry into the “murder of Mami” (a businessman) in Kozhikode. “The investigating officer had recommended a CBI enquiry. The government did not budge. Mami’s wife has moved the High Court for a CBI enquiry. If the government has nothing to hide, it should agree to the family’s demand”, he said.
Mr. Satheesan said Mr. Anvar had resurrected the spectre of gold smuggling that plagued the first Pinarayi Vijayan government.
“Rarely in the LDF’s history has a ruling front MLA accused the police of profiting from waylaying gold carriers for the contraband with the blessings of the CMO,” he said.
‘CM in a state of panic’
Mr. Satheesan alleged that Mr. Vijayan was in a state of panic. “The Chief Minister could not guiltlessly disavow Mr. Sasi or Mr. Kumar. Mr. Kumar had acted as a political agent for Mr. Vijayan. At the Chief Minister’s behest, he had secretly negotiated with a top RSS apparatchik in Thrissur in April 2023. Both Mr. Vijayan and the RSS have not denied the accusation so far,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said the meeting paved the way for the BJP to open an account in Kerala by bagging the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 elections.
He alleged that Mr. Vijayan “aided the RSS” by using the police to scuttle the Thrissur Pooram, stoking Hindu majoritarian resentment that translated into votes for actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi.
As a quid pro quo, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) quietly dropped its anti-money laundering investigation against CPI(M) leaders at the helm of the Karuvannur cooperative bank. “Henceforth, Kerala will refer to Mr. Vijayan as a Pooram disrupter,” he said.
Earlier, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran urged the CPI(M) to oust Mr. Vijayan or face public wrath.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kumar has sought to clear his name by requesting Mr. Vijayan and the State Police Chief to investigate the accusation, among other charges, levelled against him by Mr. Anvar and also Mr. Satheesan.
His official position precluded him from publicly responding to the allegations.
Published – September 06, 2024 02:11 pm IST
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