T’PURAM/KOCHI: The Opposition Congress and BJP on Friday stepped up protests seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the arrest of his former principal secretary M Sivasankar and Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, by the Enforcement Directorate in separate cases.
Seven Youth Congress workers were arrested and a few were injured, including some police personnel, after the march taken out by the outfit towards Cliff House, the official residence of the chief minister in the state capital, turned violent.
The march, which commenced from Museum Junction at 7pm, was blocked by the police using barricades near the Devaswom Board junction. Police said they were forced to cane the protesters after some workers hurled stones at them.
Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyay and Deputy Commissioner of Police Divya V Gopinath called on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Cliff House to give an explanation on the security lapse that occurred when the Youth Congress workers reached near Cliff House for the protest.
Sources said Pinarayi had censured the officers for the lapse on the part of police personnel. The march taken out by the workers was unexpected and hence the police could not make prior arrangements to block it.“The CPM is lying on a bed of arrows when the LDF government has completed four-and-a-half years. Now the only dispute that remains is whether the party or the state government reeks of more stench,” said Ramesh Chennithala, opposition leader, in Thiruvananthapuram.
BJP state president K Surendran said that his party had raised allegations against Bineesh about 15 years ago but Kodiyeri, who had served as the state’s home minister earlier, chose to ignore the allegations. He also cautioned the central intelligence agencies against a move by the state government to obtain the custody of the accused in the gold smuggling case through the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
The move is aimed to scuttle the ongoing probe by the central agencies, Surendran said.In Kochi, the Youth Congress march to the Kanayannur taluk office demanding the “underworld government” to step down resulted in a scuffle and commotion after police resorted to the use of water cannons.
Mahila Cong takes to the road
Mahila Congress members also staged protests in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam seeking the resignation of the chief minister. In Kozhikode too, police used water cannons after Yuva Morcha workers tried to break barricades. Protesters burnt Pinarayi and Kodiyeri in effigies across the state.
Police explain lapse in security
Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyay and Deputy Commissioner of Police Divya V Gopinath meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Cliff House to give an explanation on the security lapse that occurred when the Youth Congress workers reached near the CM’s official residence for the protest.