Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seems to be creating the right conditions to somehow pull himself up to the ideological high ground from where he has been knocked down in the ADGP-RSS issue. It looked like the Chief Minister had driven himself into a corner by refusing to acknowledge even the political question (what has a top police officer serving a Left government got to do with the RSS?) raised by ally CPI.
The first move to get back on his feet was made on September 23, the day after ADGP (Law & Order) M R Ajith Kumar submitted a voluminous report that, according to sources, had ruled out any conspiracy behind the disruption of this year's Thrissur pooram. The report is said to have attributed the mess to the mishandling by an impetuous and immature young commissioner.
"Everyone is convinced that there has been an attempt to sabotage the 'pooram'," the Chief Minister said the day after the news of the report appeared. He chose Thrissur itself to say this while inaugurating the public meeting held in connection with the martyrdom day of Azhikodan Raghavan.
He was dismissive of the media reports that suggested that the ADGP had concluded otherwise. "Even I have not seen it, and the media seems to be in the know. I will get this report only on Tuesday (September 24)," he said.
The next step that made the way for the CM’s comeback was state police chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb’s. The DGP submitted the ADGP's 1,200-page report to the CM with a preface saying that the report was silent on certain crucial facts. He said the ADGP's role had not been probed, especially his last-minute diktat to police officers on the ground to change the security arrangements and his failure to intervene when things got out of hand despite his presence nearby. The DGP then recommended a detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to the disruption of the ‘pooram’.
And on Thursday (September 26), Kerala Additional Chief Secretary (Home & Vigilance) Bishwanath Sinha has endorsed the DGP's recommendation to conduct further investigation into the pooram fiasco. Now, the ground has been cleared for the CM to take action against Ajith Kumar, at least transfer him from law and order as the CPI has relentlessly insisted.
Using such an administrative route to act against the ADGP has two advantages. One, it will not look as if the CM has been pressured by the CPI, and worse, by Nilambur MLA P V Anvar. Two, it will create the image of a CM who plays by the book and is not swayed by random allegations.
The ball is now in the CM's court, and it looks like he has to sacrifice his most trusted cop. Top CPM sources said that even Pinarayi knows that it is politically suicidal to sustain the perception that the CPM, and particularly himself, has used a police officer to strike an unholy deal with the Sangh Parivar forces.
