'Meeting part Of CPM-BJP deal': Ajith Kumar met Hosabale at CM Pinarayi's behest, says VD Satheesan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition leader VD Satheesan on Wednesday alleged that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had sent ADGP MR Ajith Kumar to hold talks with RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale during a Sangh Parivar camp in Thrissur in May 2023. He also challenged the CM or ADGP to deny his allegation.




“Ajith Kumar met with RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale during Hosabale’s visit to Thrissur for an RSS camp held at Paramekkavu Vidyamandir School from May 20 to 22, 2023. The ADGP left his official vehicle and arrived in a private car at the Hyatt Hotel in Kochi to meet the RSS leader, where they had a conversation lasting about an hour,” Satheesan said. “What did the CM convey to the RSS General Secretary through the ADGP,” Satheesan asked.

The opposition leader’s accusation arises amid allegations that police had deliberately disrupted the Thrissur Pooram to stir up Hindu sentiments, thereby helping the BJP to wrest the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat reportedly as part of a deal between BJP and CPM. Actor-politician Suresh Gopi had won the seat by a margin of 74,686 votes, marking the first-ever win for BJP in a parliamentary election.

Satheesan claimed that Kumar’s meeting with Hosabale was intended to stop the investigations by central agencies and forge a political understanding for the Lok Sabha election. He also alleged that the chief minister had assured BJP of opening its account in the state.

The CPM has maintained that the disruption of Thrissur Pooram festivities was caused by city police excesses for crowd management. “Why didn’t ADGP Ajith Kumar, who was in Thrissur, intervene when the commissioner acted beyond his authority?” Satheesan asked.

The opposition leader accused the CM of shielding the ADGP and his political secretary P Sasi despite serious allegations — including murder, gold smuggling, gold theft and bribery — coming up against them. He alleged that this protection was due to their involvement in disrupting the Pooram with the CM’s knowledge. He also claimed that the ADGP had stayed in Thrissur on CM’s instructions for the purpose.

The Enforcement Directorate had, during the election period, tightened its scrutiny of CPM leaders, but there has been no progress in the investigation of Karuvannur cooperative bank fraud after the election, he said.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, meanwhile, said the CM might be under pressure not to act against ADGP Ajith Kumar owing to possible blackmail. “Else, why should he appear to be afraid of an ADGP?” he asked.

CPM-backed independent MLA P V Anvar had recently called the ADGP a “notorious criminal” with connections to gold smuggling rackets, but despite these serious allegations, the investigation has been assigned to two officers reporting to the same ADGP, Chennithala said.