THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday called for ‘political resistance’ against the attempts to scuttle development in the state even as the protestors clashed with police in many places. The police slapped attempt to murder charges on the two youths who, raising slogans, moved towards the CM on board an Indigo flight on Monday. The duo was remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody.
Alleging that the ongoing protests against him was the result of the opposition’s frustration over the growing popularity of the LDF government, the chief minister said “we should not remain silent towards such protests, we should resist them politically and expose their motives before the society.”He was addressing the ‘Nava Kerala’ development seminar organised by the EMS Academy at Vilappilsala here.
Pinarayi alleged that the opposition’s ‘narrow-minded approach’ stemmed from the concern that the development projects being implemented by the government would bring more popularity to the LDF. “The Opposition thinks that development projects being undertaken in the state will harm them. This mindset applies to both UDF and BJP. So, they are trying all means to scuttle development,” he said.
On his way back to the capital city, the CM was shown black flags by Youth Congress workers at Vilappilsala and by a BJP worker at Kundamankadavu. Meanwhile, police formed a special investigation team to probe Monday’s incident on board the flight. Kannur Crime Branch SP Prejish Thottathil will head the team comprising five other officers.
Kuthuparamba DySP Pradeepan Kannippoyil, Shanghumugham ACP D K Prithewiraj, Valiyathura SHO T Sathikumar, Kuthuparamba SHO Binu Mohan P A and Mattannur SHO Krishnan M are the members of the team. The team will work under the direct supervision of Crime Branch ADGP Sheikh Darvesh Saheb.
DYFI men barge into Cantonment House
T’Puram: Farzeen Majeed and Naveen Kumar were remanded in judicial custody till June 27 by Judicial First Class Magistrate here. The FIR filed by Valiyathura police alleged that three Youth Congress workers attempted to assassinate the CM due to political animosity. The third accused, Sunith Narayanan, who shot the video of the protest, is absconding.
Farseen and Naveen are also booked for causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty, criminal conspiracy and relevant sessions of Aircraft Act. The cases were registered on the basis of a complaint filed by CM’s security officer Anil Kumar S.
The black day protest by Congress across the state against the attack on party offices by the CPM turned violent at many places. In the capital, three DYFI workers barged into the official residence of Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, by scaling the boundary wall. They were arrested and later released after registering a trespass case.
Protesters clashed with police in Kollam where RSP and Congress workers were staging a protest. MP N K Premachandran and RSP state secretary A A Aziz were among the injured. Clashes between police and protesters were also reported from Malappuram and Kozhikode. At least four Congress offices were vandalised in Kozhikode by CPM workers.
CPI UNHAPPY WITH CONG OFFICE ATTACK
At the LDF meeting, the CPI recorded its dissent over Left workers attacking the Congress state headquarters, in retaliation to the protest against the CM. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran told the LDF meet that a decision was already taken that no party offices should be attacked.