KPCC chief describes midnight police raid as ‘disgraceful rowdyism’

UDF takes out protest march to Palakkad District Police Chief’s office condemning midnight raids at Congress women leaders’ hotel rooms

The United Democratic Front (UDF) took out a protest march to the District Police Chief’s (DCP) office here on Wednesday condemning the midnight police raids on the hotel rooms of women leaders of the Congress.

The police had raided a dozen-odd rooms at KPM Regency Hotel here, including that of Shanimol Usman and Bindu Krishna, in search of black money in the early hours of Wednesday. The raid, in which no black money was recovered, led to a rancorous face-off between the UDF and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and activists.

A large number of UDF men and women marched to the DCP’s office, expressing their anger at the police action. A large posse of police personnel blocked them many yards ahead of the office.

Inaugurating the protest, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran said it was disgraceful rowdyism by the police. “You (the police) should have at least said a ‘sorry’ after that midnight action. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan may support your action, but the people of Kerala will not,” he said, adding that the police should explain who ordered the disgraceful raids.

Double victory margin

Mr. Sudhakaran said that the UDF would fight the police excesses legally. “Though you have insulted our sisters such as Shanimol Usman and Bindu Krishna, your actions are ultimately going to be beneficial to us. UDF candidate Rahul Mamkootathil’s stars have brightened. He is going to double his margin of victory with this,” the KPCC leader said.

Mr. Sudhakaran reiterated that the midnight raids were a drama plotted by the CPI(M) to help the BJP cover the involvement of BJP State president K. Surendran in the Kodakara black money case. “Has anyone made more black money in this State than Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan?” he asked.

The KPCC president warned the CPI(M) supporters that they were going through the worst political period of their party. “We want the Left to exist; but you (CPI(M) supporters) should realise the current situation. People will soon reject the CPI(M) decisively in the coming elections,” he said.

Addressing the protesters, N.K. Premachandran, MP, said the police conducted the midnight raid on the Congress’s women leaders at the behest of a CPI(M) Minister in charge of Palakkad district.

Mr. Premachandran said the Minister (Local Administration Minister M.B. Rajesh) had no moral right to continue in his position. He asked how Mr. Rajesh’s brother in law Nitin Kanichery and leaders of the BJP and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) arrived at the hotel soon after the raids started.

CPI(M)-BJP nexus

He also lashed out at an “unholy, undeclared, unwritten” nexus between the CPI(M) and the BJP. “How come the BJP and CPI(M) leaders and workers were shouting together against Rahul Mamkootathil?” He warned that if the police were acting in tune with the Ministers’ diktats, they would have to face serious consequences. “If the CPI(M) gets 20% votes in the upcoming byelection in Palakkad, the party should consider itself lucky,” he said.

Presiding over the meeting, V.K. Sreekandan, MP, demanded action against the police. “Whoever is behind this insult, we will deal with them politically and legally,” he said. He said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should be ready to quit at least after the upcoming byelections.

Shafi Parambil, MP, and Mr. Mamkootathil also addressed the protesters. Indian Union Muslim League district president Marakkar Mariyamangalam welcomed the gathering.

Published - November 06, 2024 06:41 pm IST