THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KPCC chief Mullappally Ramachandran’s remark on DGP Loknath Behera’s appointment, being a case of alleged quid pro quo for the NIA’s clean chit to PM Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah in the Israt Jehan encounter case, must indeed be true, according to Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.
Since Mullappally is a senior Congress leader who had functioned as Minister of State (MoS), Home in the Manmohan Singh Government, his statement should be taken at its face value, Chennithala said. The state Congress chief’s disclosure, dating back to Behera’s stint with the anti-terror agency which probed the Israt Jehan case, was made at a public meeting recently.
Chennithala, however, said he cannot comment more on the issue since he had not seen the particular file. Nonetheless, Mullappally’s stature as a Parliamentarian of over three decades coupled with his long years as a Union Minister should mean there is no reason to disbelieve him.
Further, the Opposition leader said there is an unholy nexus between PM Modi and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and this too had paved the way for Behera’s appointment to the key post. On the plagiarism row involving Deepa Nishanth and Sreechithran, accused of lifting the work of a published poet, Chennithala said these are the sort of ‘new renaissance’ leaders being projected by the CPM.