Kannur (Kerala) | Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday dismissed reports of differences between Chief Minister V D Satheesan and the KSU, over the appointment of a government pleader who was formerly associated with the SFI, saying any grievances within the party would be resolved through discussions.
The controversy erupted after Satheesan said on Wednesday that government pleaders were appointed on the basis of merit and recommendations and that the government would not function under pressure from political or student organisations.
The Congress's student wing KSU has objected to the appointment of a former Students' Federation of India (SFI) leader as a government pleader.
SFI is the students' wing of the CPI(M).
KSU state president Aloshious Xavier on Friday said that if the UDF government considered his opposition to the appointment of a former SFI activist as a government pleader a "mistake", he would repeat it.
Responding to questions from reporters, Chennithala said there was no such dispute within the Congress.
"When you compare it to the disputes between the CPI(M) and the CPI, what dispute is there within the Congress? If there are any issues, we will sit together and resolve them," he said.
Claiming that the maximum number of disputes existed within the opposition LDF, Chennithala said its constituents were unable to resolve their own issues.
"They are in a state where they cannot even resolve the problems within the LDF. They can't even hold a front meeting. No such issues exist in the Congress. If KSU workers have any grievances, those grievances will certainly be examined and resolved. I believe the chief minister himself will take the initiative," he said.
Rejecting that the CM was unwilling to meet the aggrieved Kerala Students Union (KSU) leaders, Chennithala said hundreds of people meet Satheesan and other ministers every day.
"If the KSU leaders have an opinion, there is nothing wrong in expressing it. They have expressed their opinions in the past as well. But there are certain procedures. If they meet the chief minister and place their concerns before him, he will certainly consider them. He will not disregard them. Not just him, all of us will consider them," he said.
On the government's anti-drug campaign, "Operation Toofan", Chennithala said the initiative had become a mass movement with strong public support.
"Earlier, the public feared the drug mafia. Today, the drug mafia fears the public because people have united against them. That is why Operation Toofan has become a resounding success," he said.
He said the campaign would continue until the drug mafia was eradicated from Kerala and warned those involved in narcotics trafficking to stop such activities.
The home minister also cautioned medical shops against dispensing prescription medicines without valid prescriptions, saying the government had found instances of medicines meant for serious illnesses being misused as injectable narcotic substances.
"No medical shop is permitted to distribute any medicine without a prescription. This is a direct warning. We are also discussing the matter with the health minister. Those who violate the rules will face stringent legal action," he said.
On reports that the security cover of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was likely to be reduced, Chennithala said such decisions were taken solely by the Security Review Committee headed by the home secretary and not by the home minister.
"The committee periodically reviews the threat perception based on intelligence and Special Branch reports and decides whether security should be increased, continued or reduced. As the home minister, I do not interfere in that process. I have never interfered in the past and I do not interfere now," he said.
He said the committee, which usually meets once every six months, was expected to meet shortly and would take an appropriate decision based on the threat assessment.