Boxed in lord of the rings

VS and Vijayan loyalists slug it out in the backwaters of Kerala while the CPI(M) plays footsie

Jeemon Jacob Thiruvananthapuram

Velikakathu Shanakaran Achuthanandan, (VS), the chief minister of Kerala, has never been a boxer. His fascination for yoga is known to all his comrades. At 83, yoga gives him strength to take on his political opponents—in his own party. However, in the current murky scenario, his latest moves remind of a professional boxer in the ring, going for the kill.

VS loyalists claim he is showing his mettle and has a clear plan of action. It’s an open secret that he has strong differences with most of his cabinet members. Among the 19 cabinet members, he has only three loyalists—Fisheries Minister S Sharma, Excise Minister PK Gurudasan and Law Minister M Vijayakumar. Rest of his party colleagues owe their loyalty to state CPI (M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, VS’s enemy Number One in the party. Hence, he has limited control over the affairs of the government.

Recently, the chief minister hauled up Director-General of Police (DGP) Raman Srivastava for meddling in anti-piracy raids. The DGP removed Inspector General of Police Rishi Raj Singh when he conducted an anti-piracy raid at the Riyan Music Studio, owned by Inspector General Tomin Thachankery. Although Anita Thachankery owns the controversial studio in Kochi, her husband, basically, runs the show.

According to insiders, Tomin enjoys ‘privileged friendship’ with Vijayan’s loyalists in the party. He acted as technical consultant to procure electronic equipments for setting up the Kairali TV Channel, promoted by CPI (M), and visited foreign countries without informing the government. A vigilance case is pending against him. The chief minister’s action was viewed a signal to the rival camp that he won’t hesitate to meddle if things go wrong.

But VS chose to be diplomatic. "Stopping an officer in his line of duty will only bring disrepute to the police force and the state government. The DGP has no answer for taking such a strange decision. So I have asked him to reinstate the investigation officer with immediate effect," he said, after meeting DGP Srivastava. The police chief promised he would issue necessary orders, but didn’t act even after 48 hours.

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, a Vijayan loyalist and central committee member of the party, was obviously not too happy with the chief minister’s interference. Finally, VS took the matter to the central leadership. General Secretary Prakash Karat directed the state leadership to quickly sort out the issue that has widely tarnished the image of the party and the six-month-old government.

On December 10, the chief minister held a 30-minute discussion with the home minister in Mumbai; moments later orders were issued reinstating Singh as the nodal officer of the anti-piracy wing of the state police. The tussle between the chief minister and home minister revealed the communication gap and rift in the government. It also proved that everything is not well in the party.

A day after, VS scored another self-goal. He said he was not consulted before the state government signed a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in New Delhi. VS opposed the ADB deal for developing infrastructure in five corporations in Kerala. His resistance delayed execution of the loan agreement. But minister for local self-government, Paloli Muhammedkutty, consulted the central leadership before signing the agreement and sent the file to the chief minister’s office. The chief minister did not bother to respond and the agreement was signed.