#Ajayan | Kerala's very own supercop has till date remained practically untouchable, safely tucked behind the Chief Minister’s shield. But the question remains for how long this protective embrace will hold. A rewind to when Kerala Speaker AN Shamsheer gave science a standing ovation and took a sledgehammer to Hindu beliefs on ‘pushpakavimanam’ and ‘plastic surgery’ referring to Ganapati. It was a spectacle that left the RSS simmering. And like what Nietzsche said, forgetting his purpose, like twist worthy of a daily soap, Shamsheer, till recently the flagbearer of rationality, decided on Monday that it was absolutely fine for the supercop, ADGP Ajith Kumar, to hobnob with RSS leaders because the RSS is suddenly a "prominent" organization in the country.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who magically loses his voice whenever controversy comes knocking at his door, and this time for 11 full days, finds himself in the eye of the storm, with critics howling over the iron grip ADGP Ajith Kumar seems to have not just over the administration but even political matters. It won’t be long before Pinarayi reluctantly clears his throat, as the situation gets too heated for even his famed stoicism and several in his own party and even the loyalists in the ruling LDF are waving a red card at his leadership, The situation has come when silence stops being golden and starts sounding like a prelude to disaster.
Sateeshan’s master stroke
Opposition Leader VD Satheesan, a master strategist, played his cards with precision, casually dropping the bombshell that a certain supercop had quietly tiptoed his way to a top RSS leader in Thrissur last May. CPM-backed legislator PV Anvar - the fresh, rebellious face of the CPM - gleefully fanned the flames by naming none other than Ajith Kumar as the man behind the secret rendezvous. And just when all thought the drama could not get juicier, it emerged that the supercop had graced another RSS leader with his presence in Thiruvananthapuram a mere 10 days earlier. An unprepared CPM that just a few days ago removed party central committee member EP Jayarajan for meeting BJP leader Prakash Javdekar, was left floundering.
But Satheesan wasn’t done just yet. He saved the best for last – a juicy bombshell that during this clandestine ADGP-RSS tete-a-tete, a businessman and a ‘prominent’ CPM leader were also present. This has left Pinarayi in an awkward situation and that too when his party’s grassroots meetings are kicking off for the final party congress, where rebellion is reportedly brewing like a pot left too long on the stove.
Pinarayi in the dock
It's no secret that Ajith Kumar’s little rendezvous with the RSS top brass could not have happened without the Chief Minister’s tacit approval. Intelligence reports were practically gift-wrapped and delivered to him the very next day, and yet after months Pinarayi keeps stoic silence. As the ‘responsible’ leader of a party elected on principles (though leaders are trying to forget it to the stupidest levels), he makes a mockery of the voters and his party’s so-called ideals. The irony is almost too rich: it took an Anvar and a VD Satheesan to blow the lid off this whole affair. Soon, Pinarayi will be dragged into acting against the ADGP - not just for his RSS hobnobbing, but also for the other delightful allegations swirling around him like corruption and criminality by none other than Anvar who certainly has his axe to grind. To make matters even more laughable, the so-called “investigation” into Anvar’s accusations against the ADGP reads like the script of a farcical drama. Some of the officers probing the charges just happen to be reporting directly to the very man they’re investigating. It’s almost as if the CM decided to stage his own theatre of the absurd.
Twists and swirls
In a twist no one saw coming, Anwar - the man stirring the pot – has managed to rally support within a large section of the party and from minority leaders backing the CPM, painting a picture that the party is cozying up to the RSS-BJP. And, supercop Ajith Kumar serves as the shining proof of this unholy alliance. Sadly, this newfound narrative threatens to create an unhealthy communal rift within the party itself.
Soon enough, Pinarayi will have to emerge from his self-imposed silence and face the music, explaining whether he knew about Ajith Kumar's cozy little chats with the RSS bigwigs. If he denies it, he owes an explanation for why he ignored the intelligence report so conveniently dropped on his desk. And if he admits to knowing, then he has to explain why this officer, who seems to be moonlighting as a political liaison, still holds the reins of law and order in Kerala.
The plot thickens. Enter P Sasi, his political secretary, who comes with his own baggage of a sexual assault scandal—kicked out by the party once, only to be welcomed back with open arms. Add Ajith Kumar to this toxic cocktail, and Pinarayi’s predicament only deepens. This isn't Pinarayi’s first rodeo with controversy. During his last stint, his private secretary Sivasankaran was running the show until he traded his office for a jail cell. Now, all eyes are on Pinarayi as Kerala waits to see who the next scapegoat will be.