Anvar is all out to take on Pinarayi as party forms a fortress around CM

Since the knot of allegations began to unravel—including no action against the online channel Marunadan Malayali, illegal tree cutting at Malappuram SP office, police pilferage of smuggled gold, and allegations of rape and murder against top officials including ADGP, with the connivance of the LDF government’s political secretary, Nilambur MLA P.V. Anvar has now turned his gun against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself, who of late by insinuation tried to portray Anvar as complicit in gold smuggling operations.

Meeting the press on several occasions in the last few days, Anvar originally stopped short of blaming the chief minister for the misdeeds and only accused those in his office for keeping the CM in the dark. But on Thursday at a press meet in his own constituency Nilambur, he blasted the Chief Minister, calling him a blot on the party with allegations of keeping secret links with BJP leaders to save his family members from cases, by allegedly adjusting actions in favour of the BJP, including the commotion during the Thrissur Pooram which is believed to have created favourable waves enabling the victory of the BJP candidate Suresh Gopi.

Anvar also linked the rise of criminal cases in Malappuram district, including gold smuggling and drug trafficking, to ADGP Ajith Kumar’s connection with the RSS, to portray the Muslim-populated district as a hub of crimes and criminals. But what infuriated Anvar, who had once regarded Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as a father figure and had tried to protect him while making allegations against ADGP and his political secretary P.S. Sasi, was the Chief Minister’s remark hinting that Anvar might be involved in the gold smuggling racket.

Part of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) as an independent MLA of the CPI-M, Anvar initially kept saying that he would remain with the front until the party made a decision on him. But the party leaders rallied behind the Chief Minister, rejecting PV Anvar, MLA, who they claim is playing into the hands of the party’s adversaries, with the Chief Minister stating that he had suspected all along that the concerns and allegations were intended to discredit the CPM.

Discrepancies in gold seizures

One of Anvar's allegations is that the Malappuram police have been involved in seizing gold from smugglers outside the airport building and then under-reporting the amount to the courts in collusion with the Customs, and siphoning off a major part of it. Anvar argued that significant discrepancies were noticed between the amounts of gold confiscated and what is later presented in legal proceedings, claiming the police are pocketing a portion of the seized gold.

These allegations have put Pinarayi Vijayan's government under intense scrutiny, with Anvar challenging the Chief Minister to launch a judicial probe into the matter, supported by a panel of honest police officers.

During the press conference in Nilambur on Thursday, Anvar outlined two specific incidents to support his claims. He recounted how two gold carriers, who had successfully evaded Customs officers, were apprehended by the police after leaving Karipur Airport. Both carriers reportedly had 900 grams of gold hidden in capsule form in their bodies.

However, the police reported only 526 grams of gold to the court in one case, a nearly 60% loss. In the other case, Anvar alleged that no official record exists of the gold seized by the police, raising further suspicions about the conduct of the Malappuram police.

According to Anvar, the retrieval of the hidden gold was carried out in a private hospital, without any witnesses present to verify the process. He claimed that X-ray evidence of the gold hidden in the carriers' bodies would still be available at the hospital, but he emphasised that the gold purification process was not conducted in a customs-approved laboratory, which is mandatory under the law.

Anvar argued that these procedural lapses and discrepancies warranted a judicial investigation, asserting that if even a small fraction of the 188 cases of gold seizures by the Malappuram police were thoroughly interrogated, the truth would emerge.

Chief Minister's response

In response to Anvar’s allegations, Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier dismissed the accusations as baseless. The Chief Minister cited a police probe that purportedly cleared the Malappuram police of wrongdoing. He explained that any differences in the weight of gold seized by the police and the amount submitted to the court were the result of loss during purification processes.

The Chief Minister also said that there will be no action against his political secretary, whom Anvar called the axis of the crime syndicate with the police, while he also certified him as the one who does exemplary work. He also insisted that action against the ADGP will only be initiated on the basis of a departmental probe by the DGP.

LDF rallies to support the Chief Minister

Amid these accusations, the ruling LDF coalition has closed ranks to defend Vijayan. LDF convener T.P. Ramakrishnan issued a strong statement, asserting that the Chief Minister’s reputation and influence remain untarnished, with the people of Kerala continuing to support him. Ramakrishnan suggested that Anvar’s actions might be influenced by the party’s political adversaries, implying that the Nilambur MLA was playing into the hands of those seeking to destabilise the government.

Earlier, Anvar had expressed personal disappointment with Vijayan, stating that he once viewed the Chief Minister as a guardian but now felt betrayed. Anvar also recounted a meeting with Vijayan where he presented an 11-page complaint detailing corruption allegations against top officials, including ADGP (Law & Order) M.R. Ajith Kumar, IPS officer Sujith Das, and the CM’s political secretary, P. Sasi.

According to Anvar, these individuals were involved in corrupt practices and were exerting undue influence on the Chief Minister. Anvar said that although Vijayan appeared shocked by the allegations, he later took actions that suggested a lack of sincerity in addressing the issue.

Insufficient investigations

In the aftermath of this meeting, the Kerala government ordered a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau probe into a controversial property deal involving ADGP Ajith Kumar. However, Anvar criticised the investigation as insufficient, arguing that the evidence he had submitted should have led to immediate action against the senior police officer.

The MLA also condemned the government’s decision to allow a mass transfer of police officers in the Malappuram district, suggesting that these moves were merely attempts to placate him rather than address the systemic corruption he alleged.

Throughout his press conference, Anvar vacillated between praising Vijayan for his leadership during the first term and condemning him as incompetent in his second term. He attributed the LDF’s electoral victory in 2021 to the Chief Minister's performance but later accused Vijayan of failing to act decisively on key issues, including the gold smuggling scandal involving former principal secretary M Sivasankar.

Anvar's tirades have been noticed as becoming progressively harsh against the current ruling establishment, as he suggested that Vijayan was beholden to vested interests within the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the BJP, even hinting at political deals that compromised his leadership.