Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan (L) and Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan.
Credit: PTI File Photos
Thiruvananthapuram: CPM's alleged nexus with BJP and RSS echoed in the Kerala assembly on Tuesday with the opposition Congress alleging that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was at the mercy of the BJP government at the Centre owing to probes by central agencies against his office and daughter.
It was during the discussion on an adjournment motion on senior IPS officer M R Ajithkumar's meeting with RSS-BJP leaders that the opposition attacked the CPM. The CPM also raised the Malappuram-based gold smuggling remarks of the Chief Minister to refute the CPM-BJP-RSS nexus allegations.
Vijayan's absence in the House during the discussion was conspicuous. Though he was present during the morning hours and also spoke in the House, speaker A N Shamseer informed that Vijayan won't be able to attend the adjournment motion discussion as doctors advised him to rest due to a throat infection. The speaker also urged the opposition Congress not to criticise Vijayan's absence owing to illness.
Opposition leader V D Satheesan alleged that no stringent action was taken against the IPS officer as he had called on RSS leaders at the behest of the Chief Minister. The Congress also challenged the government to make public the inquiry report of state police chief Sheik Darvesh Saheb against Ajithkumar, which reportedly recommended that a strong action be taken against him.
Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan and IUML MLA N Shamsudeen also alleged that the latest instance of the CPM-BJP nexus was the acquittal of BJP state president K Surendran in the Manjeshwar election bribery case.
The ruling front tried to defend the criticisms over the Chief Minister's Malappuram remark by citing that it was the Communist party that initiated the formation of Malappuram district while the Congress opposed it. Parliamentary affairs minister M B Rajesh said that many prominent Congress leaders had participated in protests against the formation of Malappuram district in 1969 by the Communist government led by E M S Namboodiripad.
The opposition UDF staged a walkout alleging that the government failed to give convincing replies to the allegation of the IPS officer's meeting with RSS and the involvement of a public relations agency in including remarks against Malappuram district in Chief Minister's interview.