Thiruvananthapuram; Having dismissed a warning by CPI national secretary Annie Raja about the presence of an "RSS gang" within the Kerala Police three years ago, the state factions of the CPM and CPI are finding themselves on the defensive as reports emerge linking ADGP MR Ajith Kumar to the RSS.
When Annie Raja first raised this issue, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ridiculed her, dismissing her as merely a national leader. The CPI's state leadership at the time too distanced itself from her comments, even going so far as to send a letter of disapproval. However, the recent disclosure of ADGP Ajith Kumar's secret meeting with RSS secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has lent credence to the warning made by Annie Raja three years ago.
Back then, Annie Raja had accused certain factions within the Kerala Police of deliberately undermining the LDF government’s policies on women's safety. Her criticism was based on specific cases where the police failed to take action on complaints lodged by women. She argued that these lapses contradicted the pro-women stance of the LDF government and urged the Chief Minister to take the matter seriously.
However, the CPI’s state leadership strongly objected to her statements. The then state secretary of the party, Kanam Rajendran, expressed his dissatisfaction and sent a letter to Annie, accusing her of violating party protocol, which required consultation with state leadership before making public comments on state administration. The CPI state leadership even criticized their own general secretary, D. Raja, for supporting Annie—his wife.
Chief Minister Vijayan, on his part, defended the performance of the Kerala Police and dismissed Annie Raja’s concerns by implying that her status as a national leader made her out of touch with state issues. The CPI, focused on the breach of protocol, failed to engage with the substance of her criticism, and neither the CPM nor the government took her words seriously at the time.
Now, with the confirmation of ADGP Ajith Kumar's meeting with the RSS leadership in Thrissur last year, the current CPI state secretary has responded that no state government official should be in discussions with the RSS at the expense of the LDF government. Annie Raja, when contacted by Manorama, said she would respond after studying the latest developments.
