Controversial ADGP met RSS leader Dattatreya on behalf of CM Vijayan: Cong

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 4 (PTI) The opposition Congress on Wednesday accused IPS officer M R Ajith Kumar of acting as a 'middleman' between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the RSS.

The party claimed that Kumar had intentionally disrupted the iconic Thrissur Pooram festival on the CM's instructions to secure the Lok Sabha poll victory of the BJP candidate in Thrissur.

Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, V D Satheesan, lambasted the Chief Minister and demanded to know if he had dispatched ADGP Kumar, his trusted confidant, to meet with RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale in Thrissur last May.

However, the CM and the RSS are yet to respond to these allegations.

Despite a ruling MLA raising serious charges against his political secretary P Sasi and the ADGP, Vijayan is still protecting them, he alleged, referring to the recent charges levelled against them by LDF legislator P V Anvar.

He further alleged that Ajith Kumar met with the RSS leader in a private car when he had attended a camp organised by the right-wing outfit in a school in Paramekkavu in Thrissur in May last year and spoke for over an hour.

"What did the CM convey to the RSS General Secretary through the ADGP?" the LoP wondered and wanted to know why a top-ranking officer in charge of law and order was sent to the right-wing leader.

The meeting was to intended to avoid the investigation by central agencies against the CM and to enter into a political understanding during the election, Satheesan alleged.

He also claimed that Vijayan had assured the RSS that the BJP would make inroads in the state during the Lok Sabha polls, essentially promising that the party's account would be opened in Kerala.

The Congress leader charged that the ADGP did not intervene into the complaints of police excesses during the Thrissur Pooram night on April 16 this year.

The LoP continued to accuse the government of shielding the political secretary and the ADGP, despite serious allegations against them, including the use of police to disrupt the Thrissur Pooram with the Chief Minister's knowledge.

The Left veteran had an unholy nexus with the BJP during the election and before, and it has become clear again now, the LoP alleged.

The BJP had won the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency by inciting Hindu sentiments through disruption of the Pooram festivities and rituals, he said and added that it was planned and implemented by the BJP and the CPI (M) together.

He also alleged that CM Vijayan was scared of Sasi and Ajith Kumar and wanted a CBI probe into the charges cropped up against the duo.

Controversies had taken the sheen off Thrissur Pooram, the iconic temple festival, this year due to alleged restrictions imposed by police and their reported interference in the rituals on April 16 night.

For the first time in the history of the festival, the display of fireworks, one of the major attractions of the event, which was scheduled in the early hours, was held in broad daylight the next day, which turned out to be a disappointment for the festival buffs.

The alleged interference of the police in the Pooram festivities and the delayed display of fireworks triggered sharp political reactions in the state as opposition Congress and BJP criticised the LDF government over the issue.

The Kerala government, on April 21, had directed the state police chief to investigate controversies with regard to Thrissur Pooram and submit a report within one week. PTI