Thiruvananthapuram | The controversy surrounding IPS officer M R Ajith Kumar's alleged meeting with a senior RSS leader escalated on Saturday, with a section of the media reporting that the ADGP admitted to the Chief Minister's office that his visit was personal, drawing sharp reactions from the ruling party ally CPI and the opposition Congress.
As per media reports, Kumar, a close confidant of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, offered an explanation to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) that he had met with RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale in Thrissur last May, but clarified that it was a "personal visit".
However, a CMO source said they "lacked clear information" about the ADGP's explanation.
While the opposition Congress which had first raised allegations about the secret meeting, charged the top officer with visiting the RSS leader as a 'messenger' of CM Vijayan, the ruling CPI (M) adopted a stand that there was no need for them to react on the matter as ADGP was not a party man.
The BJP responded cautiously to the development wondering what was wrong in the meeting between a police officer and a public activist.
However, the saffron party rejected the Congress's allegation that it had conspired with the Marxist party to disrupt the Pooram festivities with the support of the IPS officer to ensure their candidate's victory in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.
The controversy took a turn after ruling CPI (M) had termed as a "lie and pure nonsense" the Congress' charge that Ajith Kumar acted as a 'middleman' between the CM and the RSS to disrupt the iconic Thrissur Pooram festival to secure the Lok Sabha poll victory of the BJP candidate in Thrissur.
Meanwhile, the ADGP's explanation didn't go well with CPI, the second largest coalition partner in the LDF, which said today that the reported meeting of the top officer with the RSS leader amounted to creating doubt among the people.
CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam sounded tough about the media reports over the ADGP's explanation and sought to know what "vijnanam" (knowledge) that the law and order ADGP had shared with the organisational leaders of Vijnana Bharathi, an RSS wing.
People of the state would naturally wonder why the ADGP met the RSS leaders and what was the reason for the meeting, the leader told media.
He made it clear that the LDF and RSS had nothing in common, including politics or ideology.
Responding to the reported explanation given by the ADGP, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan said whatever he had disclosed about the meeting between Ajith Kumar and the RSS leader has turned out to be true now.
"The ADGP had gone to meet the RSS leader as a messenger of the CM. The Chief Minister had earlier also used police officers to influence the Centre to settle cases by central agencies," he alleged.
He reiterated his charge that the CPI (M) had used the police to disrupt Thrissur Pooram to help BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.
"The dangerous nexus between the Marxist party and the BJP has ben exposed through these incidents. People of the state are now convinced of this unholy alliance," Satheesan added.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan, who had unsuccessfully contested from Thrissur in the recent Lok Sabha polls, questioned the reported explanation of the ADGP.
"What personal visit? RSS is an organisation equally opposed to the LDF and UDF. An IPS officer, under the Chief Minister, had met the national leader of such an outfit. Shouldn't he inform the CM or the DGP before the visit?" he asked.
However, CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan wondered why the party should answer if the ADGP had visited someone.
"So what?" he asked when the media sought his reaction over the officer's reported explanation.
While LSGD Minister M B Rajesh said ADGP Ajith Kumar is not a CPI (M) leader, Public Works Department minister P A Mohammad Riyas said the issue would not affect the Left party.
"The ADGP is not a CPI (M) leader... Everything will come under the probe... None of our leaders have ever stood with folded hands before the photo of RSS leader Golwalkar," Rajesh said.
However, BJP state chief K Surendran said it is not the saffron party, but CM Vijayan should explain whether the ADGP was sent by him or if the officer had gone by himself.
"What is wrong in that meeting? A police officer in the state went to meet a public activist...what is the big deal in it?" he asked.
The controversy had erupted days ago when V D Satheesan demanded to know if the CM had dispatched ADGP Ajithkumar, his trusted confidant, to meet with RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale in Thrissur May last year.
The meeting was intended to avoid the investigation by central agencies against the CM and to enter into a political understanding during the election, Satheesan had alleged.
The allegations came in the wake of a Facebook post by LDF MLA P V Anvar hinting that ADGP Ajithkumar was behind the police interventions in Pooram rituals and the subsequent controversies which had taken the sheen off the annual spectacle held in April this year.
However, Anvar on Saturday turned the table on the Congress-led UDF and said the IPS officer had met with the RSS leader at the behest of Satheesan and Ajith Kumar had close links with both the opposition front and the RSS.
Kerala police on Saturday formed a Crime Branch special investigation team to look into a case related to Kozhikode resident Mohammed Aattoor, who disappeared around a year ago.
The team will function under Crime Branch Kozhikode Range IG P Prakash, the state government said.
The senior crime branch officials from Kozhikode and Wayanad districts are included in the team.