Vigilance court verdict on ADGP validates Opposition’s claim, says Satheesan

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has said that the Vigilance court verdict dismissing the clean chit given to Additional Director General of Police ( ADGP) M.R. Ajith Kumar validates the Opposition’s allegation that the police are controlled not by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan but by a caucus within the Chief Minister’s Office.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Mr. Satheesan said the court asked which invisible force had given the officer a clean chit. “It is a reality that an invisible force, which controls the government and the police and goes to any extreme for its favourites, has taken cover behind the government. Even the Chief Minister is controlled by this force,” he said.

Mr. Satheesan said the Vigilance inquiry report was clearly a cover-up, which would be obvious to any sensible person. The court has made serious accusations against the Chief Minister and the police administration. Mr. Ajith Kumar, he alleged, had met a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader on behalf of the Chief Minister and had carried out many unauthorised actions for the government.

He criticised the ruling party, saying that the same party, which tried to implicate and arrest a former Minister over a report highlighting engineering defects in the Palarivattom flyover, was now in power. “Today, a bridge collapses every month. A bridge worth ₹24 crore has now collapsed into water. If a PWD bridge collapses one day, then for the next three days, the national highway keeps caving in. Yet, there is no complaint against the Kerala government, National Highways Authority of India, or the Surface Transport department,” Mr. Satheesan said.

He asked why those who registered a case against V.K. Ebrahimkunju, the PWD Minister in the UDF government, were not registering a case against the present PWD Minister.

Voters’ list

Mr. Satheesan also pointed out that not a single BJP leader had commented on discrepancies in the voters’ list. He termed this the latest instance of autocratic rulers seizing power through fraud. He alleged that there were many irregularities in the Thrissur election as well but no response had been given to any of the allegations.

“We could not even include eligible names in the voters’ list in Wayanad, let alone add fake ones. UDF activists have added eligible voters in an unprecedented way for the local body polls,” he said.

He added that there were attempts to include bogus voters in the Palakkad by-election as well. “Nothing that happened in Thrissur in 2021 or 2024 will be repeated in the forthcoming election. In the Assembly election, Thrissur will reflect the scintillating comeback of the UDF,” Mr. Satheesan said.