How a senior cop’s meeting with an RSS leader landed Pinarayi govt in another row

The Pooram festival disruption happened in April this year, days before Kerala went to polls. After Gopi’s win, which marked the BJP’s first-ever Lok Sabha poll victory in Kerala, the Congress and the CPI(M) accused each other of “having an understanding with BJP”.

Amid the fresh controversy, there has not been a denial from Kumar over his “meeting” with Hosabale. The CPI(M) has also tried to play it down, saying it was not a matter related to the party or the government.

The Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, V D Satheesan, has alleged that Kumar had met Hosabale at the behest of CM Vijayan. “Did Vijayan ask the ADGP why he met the RSS leader. ADGP met the RSS leader for Vijayan’s mission. He (CM) had a practice of deputing police officials to influence the central agencies’ probes into various scandals. Vijayan had held discussion with RSS leaders in the presence of spiritual guru Sri M. We have raised several incidents of CPI(M)-BJP nexus in the past also,’’ Satheesan alleged.

CPI(M)-backed Independent MLA P V Anvar, who also waded into the row, charged that the ADGP has links with the BJP and was present in Thrissur when alleged police intervention undermined the Pooram festival. In his complaint to the CM, Anvar sought a probe into Kumar’s role in this episode.

Anvar also alleged that the ADGP’s meeting with the RSS leader was meant to bail out Satheesan, who has been facing an ED probe in a case of alleged FCRA violations in connection with mobilising funds for a rehabilitation project.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan distanced the party from any such meeting. “It is Congress which had made a deal with RSS in Thrissur. The Congress’s vote share came down (in Thrissur seat). Opposition leader is raising the allegation to cover up that deal,’’ he alleged.

At the same time, Govindan said the allegation that the ADGP had “conspired” to disrupt the Pooram event, would be examined.

CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, however, said, “The ADGP-RSS leader meeting is mysterious. He (ADGP) had gone to meet an RSS leader in a private car of another RSS leader in Kerala. There is nothing common between RSS and Left. Such a meeting should not have taken place at the cost of LDF.’’

Kerala BJP president K Surendran on Saturday admitted that this meeting had taken place, but delinked it with the Pooram event fiasco. “RSS general secretary Hosabale had met ADGP Kumar in May 2023. What is the logic in saying that they had spoilt the Pooram event held in April 2024,” he said.

The police crowd management on April 19 was blamed for disrupting the Pooram festival, which put the Vijayan government in the dock on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls. Amid uncertainty gripping the festival then, Suresh Gopi intervened to reassure its organisers and put the event back on track by

getting the ritualistic fireworks conducted in daylight. It was claimed that his move also influenced the April 26 voting in his favour to a degree.

Gopi trounced the CPI’s V S Sunil Kumar by over 74,000 votes, with the Congress’s K Muraleedharan finishing third. Both the CPI and Congress candidates later claimed that “police intervention” during the Pooram festival had helped Gopi clinch the poll.

Last week, the CPI(M) removed party heavyweight E P Jayarajan as the LDF convener over his meeting with the BJP’s Kerala in- charge Prakash Javadekar ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

In the past too, the CPI(M) had faced allegations over the Sangh Parivar’s “role” in police appointments. In 2016, when the Vijayan government named Loknath Behara as the DGP ignoring several IPS officers more senior to him, the Congress had alleged that this appointment was done at the behest of the BJP and RSS.

In March this year when Congress leader Padmaja Venugopal switched to the BJP, her brother K Muraleedharan had alleged Behara’s role in her move.