A rift has emerged in Kerala’s LDF over ADGP Ajith Kumar's alleged secret meeting with RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale, sparking tension between CPI and CPI(M).
Published Sep 07, 2024 | 7:26 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 07, 2024 | 7:26 PM
A fresh rift developing within #Kerala's Left Democratic Front (LDF) over the alleged meeting between MR Ajith Kumar and an RSS leader. (MR Ajith Kumar/Facebook)
A fresh rift has surfaced within Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) over an alleged meeting between Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) M R Ajith Kumar and senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Dattatreya Hosabale.
While the CPI(M) has downplayed the incident, the Communist Party of India (CPI) is demanding answers, signalling growing internal tensions in the alliance.
The controversy reportedly revolves around claims that ADGP Ajith Kumar, responsible for law and order in the state, held a secret meeting with Hosabale in Thrissur in 2023.
Ajith Kumar is said to have acknowledged the meeting to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), describing it as a personal visit.
However, it is now alleged that he travelled with A Jayakumar, an RSS pracharak and his former classmate, raising questions about the nature of the visit.
While CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan has sought to distance the party from the controversy, CPI leaders have expressed serious concerns.
Govindan, in a statement on Saturday, dismissed the incident as inconsequential, asserting that the party had no involvement in the matter.
“The party has nothing to do with the meeting,” Govindan stated. “Why should the party take responsibility if he [the ADGP] meets someone? He is not a party member.”
In stark contrast, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam voiced his unease, emphasising the significance of the meeting.
“The state is curious to know about this meeting. Why should an ADGP, who handles law and order, meet with an RSS leader?” Viswam asked.
Viswam also referenced rumours that circulated after the 2024 Thrissur Pooram festival, suggesting that a faction within the police may have attempted to disrupt the smooth conduct of the event.
“I am raising this when there were already rumours that a section of the police had attempted to disrupt the smooth conduct of the Thrissur Pooram,” he said.
Adding to the CPI’s critique, V S Sunil Kumar, a senior party leader and former LDF candidate for the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, demanded a thorough investigation.
“The matter is not about failure or victory in Thrissur,” he said. “The question is who disrupted the Thrissur Pooram,” he told the media.
The situation has been further complicated by allegations from the Leader of the Opposition, V D Satheesan, who claimed that the ADGP acted as a messenger on behalf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
According to Satheesan, the meeting was part of a broader effort to negotiate with the BJP leadership on sensitive issues, including investigations by central agencies.
“Ajith Kumar met the RSS leader as a messenger on behalf of the CM,” Satheesan alleged. “If the intelligence wing had caught wind of the meeting and informed the Home Department, why didn’t they act on it for the past one year?”
Satheesan further accused the Chief Minister’s political secretary, P Sasi, and ADGP Ajith Kumar of being untouchable due to their knowledge of “many secrets.”
He hinted that the real power within the CPI(M) lies not with the party but with a select group in the CMO, implying that the ADGP’s actions were beyond the party’s control. “It’s the power group centered in the CM’s Office that controls the affairs,” Satheesan remarked.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has rejected the allegations, with state president K Surendran calling the opposition’s claims baseless. Surendran also criticised attempts to link the alleged 2023 meeting with the 2024 Thrissur Pooram disruptions.
“There is nothing unnatural in the meeting,” Surendran said. “Satheesan alleged that the meeting took place in a hotel. That’s wrong. RSS leaders will not stay in hotels. The meeting took place at Thrissur Vivekodayam School where Hosabale was staying.”
The diverging responses from CPI(M) and CPI highlight a growing rift within the LDF over the issue. While the CPI(M) seeks to brush off the controversy, the CPI’s vocal demands for transparency reflect deeper concerns within the coalition.
As the issue unfolds, the pressure on the LDF government to clarify the circumstances surrounding the meeting is mounting, with political opponents and coalition partners alike calling for answers.
It was LoP Satheesan who first raised the allegation of this meeting on 4 September. He then stated that the meeting was to strike a deal with the BJP including a Lok Sabha seat from Thrissur. However, Ajith Kumar is said to have informed the CM’s Office that the visit was private.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
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