In the last five years, the state police seized 150 kg of gold and Hawala money worth Rs 123 crore from Malappuram district. This money is smuggled into Kerala for 'seditious' and 'anti-national' activities'. The things that Kerala Chief Minister said in an interview with 'The Hindu' newspaper the other day naturally led to huge protests and controversies. This gave way to raging arguments after the interview appeared in the newspaper on Monday. A version of Sangh Parivar’s recent allegations coming as a reply from Chief Minister triggered the controversy. But CPIM sources claimed that the Chief Minister's answer were distorted. When the CPM leadership and spokespersons were unable to justify or explain the arguments raised, the Chief Minister's office sent a denial letter to the editor of 'The Hindu' on Tuesday afternoon. It was stated that the Chief Minister did not refer to the name of any place. In response to it, the details given in the paper's apology turned out to be more serious. The newspaper explained that a PR agency approached it to take an interview of the Chief Minister and the interview was carried out in the presence of the agency. It further stated that the agency added the controversial statements from the Chief Minister’s previous press conference. Still there remain serious questions. Why did the agency, appointed for the government, crammed in a content that is against the position of the Chief Minister and the government? How did the Chief Minister’s office overlook it? Why did the party ministers and leaders delay in revealing the PR interview even as they came up counter-arguments? All these questions cry for answers.
With explaining to media and huge gatherings his reasons to put the chief minister and LDF government in dock, P V Anwar, who left or was expelled from the ruling party, is causing real trouble to Pinarayi Vijayan and CPIM. Anwar's responsible allegations are directed against the Home Department and top police officials directly managed by the Chief Minister. The sharpest of all was the arrows of allegations darted against ADGP Ajith Kumar, who is in charge of law and order, and Chief Minister's political secretary, P Sasi. It is pointed out that the allegations, raised by Anwar and Opposition leader VD Satheesan, that the ADGP was at the helm of the conspiracy to disrupt Thrissur Pooram as part of a conspiracy to ensure a massive victory for the BJP candidate in Thrissur in the Lok Sabha elections, exposes Pinarayi's RSS connection. To deny this categorically, there needs a thorough investigation. But the investigation was carried out by ADGP himself. When it turned out to be farcical, the DGP re-investigated it later. Its report has not been published yet. Even as the calls for strict action against ADGP are rising strongly from the opposition and the left dissidents, the second largest party in LDF, the CPI, has also strongly demanded that the officer should not allowed to continue in office. The chief minister’s controversial statement must be evaluated against this backdrop.
The statements by the Chief Minister and CPM spokespersons do not make us believe that the Chief Minister did not target the largest religious minority community in the country and the state and some its organisations. PR The agency itself said that the Chief Minister’s remarks on the subject were copied for him. As the party meetings are underway from local levels, workers need satisfying explanations for the major defeat in Lok Sabha elections, set back to the government in the second term, and the tendency of large chuck of workers joining the extreme rightwing. Alongside, the Hindutva propaganda that the party’s appeasement of religious minorities has brought it to such a downfall should be stopped. Given this, the party cannot but proclaim that it is equally fighting Hindutva forces and Muslim communalism and extremism. It is in this context that the Chief Minister's claims should be looked at. If Muslim terrorists and traitors are getting gold and cash as he claims, why is it that not even one of those terrorists caught and brought to justice? Why the police that used UAPA and NIA liberally to nab the 'poor Maoists' cannot find a single Muslim terrorists so far? Why hasn't the Modi government been asked to take action against Muslim organizations that support terrorism? If they are protecting the Muslim League and the Muslim League is protecting them, what is the justification for having given clean chit to the League so far? These organizations supported the UDF in the 17th Lok Sabha elections. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the party that wholeheartedly supports him are going through a severe crisis due to their strategies and lack of direction. The move to overcome this situation by trying to isolate and attack the constituent parties of the INDIA bloc, of which the party belongs, will be counterproductive. It is obvious if it helps anyone it will certainly be the extreme Hindu right wing. The saffron brigade is happy that the Chief Minister has acknowledged that the Muslim terrorist forces that they have pointed out till now in Kerala are getting a lot of money from outside.