THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police’s failure in identifying the lone miscreant who hurled an explosive at the gate of AKG Centre, CPM’s headquarters in the capital, even after four days was underplayed by the state government and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while defending an adjournment motion moved by Congress MLA P C Vishnunath in the assembly on Monday.
The assembly witnessed a fiery debate of over two hours between the treasury benches and the Opposition over the issue. When the government agreed to grant leave for adjournment to discuss the issue raised by Vishunath, the opposition benches were caught by surprise. However, they unleashed a no-holds-barred attack on the government and the home department led by Vijayan.
Hinting that the AKG Centre attack happened with the police’s connivance, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan asked why a police jeep that was always parked near the gate of the CPM headquarters went missing mysteriously on the day of the attack. He also hit out at CPM leaders who alleged Congress was behind the incident.
“By making statements that Congress is behind the attack and exaggerating its magnitude, senior CPM leaders have given a call for riot,” Satheesan alleged. He said repeated attacks on Congress offices across the state by the CPM stemmed from the party’s fear and panic after being embroiled in various political controversies.
Replying to the adjournment motion, the CM hinted that the attack was meticulously planned. He said the police’s task is not to apprehend anyone but to bring the real culprit to book after a thorough investigation. He said any lapses on the part of the police will also be examined. “The attack happened with proper planning. The culprit is being sheltered by those who planned it,” Vijayan said.
He added that a vehicle had conducted a recce of the spot minutes before the attack probably to check the police deployment and inform the assailant. The CM expressed the hope that the assailant would be apprehended soon.
Earlier, Vishnunadh who moved the adjournment motion flayed the CPM for trying to implicate the Congress in the incident. The Kundara MLA asked sarcastically if the attack on AKG Centre was a “nano terror strike” for the minimal impact it caused. Accusing the police of soft-pedalling the investigation, he asked why there was no hot pursuit of the culprit immediately after the attack, nor any attempt to nab the assailant even four days after the incident.
Roji M John of the Congress remarked sarcastically that renowned police forces across the world are now seeking the services of LDF convenor E P Jayarajan who deduced within five minutes that it was the Congress that carried out the attack.
K P A Majeed of IUML said it would not be wrong if anyone assumes that the attack was carried out to divert public attention from the political controversies faced by the CPM. K K Rema of RMP termed the attack as a total failure of the home department helmed by the CM. Instead of choosing the chair in Rahul Gandhi’s office to place a plantain tree, the SFI should have chosen the CM’s chair, she remarked. CPM’s M M Mani, K V Sumesh and Kadakampally Surendran put up a spirited defence of the government.