Kochi:  Soon after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made it clear that he is not happy with CPM-backed Nilambur MLA P V Anvar, who has put his government in trouble with a series of allegations, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said that the CM’s statements were in effect his message to his rivals within his own party. 

“The Chief Minister said that the MLA who raised allegations against  ADGP Ajith Kumar who is in charge of law and order and his political secretary P Sasi is not trustworthy. That is actually a message to his rivals within his own party who are behind Anvar,” Satheesan said, suggesting that all is not well within the ruling CPM and a section of leaders have raised a rebellion against Vijayan who has been facing a series of corruption and political allegations which have put the party and the government in crisis.

Addressing media here on Saturday, Satheesan said the Chief Minister has been showing double standards on the allegations raised by Anvar.
“When it comes to Anvar’s allegations, the Chief Minister’s stand is that some parts of them would be probed, and some not,” the Congress leader said, referring to the CM’s remarks that neither ADGP Ajith Kumar who is in charge of law and order nor his political secretary P Sasi would be removed from their posts based on Anvar’s allegations.

Satheesan repeated his charge that the Thrissur Pooram festival was disrupted by the police at the behest of the Chief Minister as part of a conspiracy to set the stage for BJP’s win in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.

“When the row over the Pooram happened the CM ordered a probe and sought a report within one week. Now after five months, the CM is saying the probe period was extended last week. What is there to be probed for five months,” the opposition leader asked. He said Vijayan should quit at least his home portfolio as he is not able to control the police.

Satheesan said the DySP who told the truth about the status of the investigation into the Pooram disruption was made a scapegoat. He was referring to the decision to suspend State Public Information Officer and NRI cell DySP M S Santhosh citing that his RTI reply that no probe has been conducted into the issue was wrong. “The government has suspended the officer saying a fair probe cannot be conducted by keeping him in that position. Then why ADGP Ajith Kumar is retained in his post even as a probe is on into the allegations against him,” Satheesan asked.

Satheesan repeated that Ajith Kumar did not step in even after the then police commissioner kept creating trouble during the Pooram. Satheesan alleged that the ADGP orchestrated the disruption by rejecting the existing blueprint for crowd management and introducing a new one.