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Tainted cop's posting: War in Kerala's Cong
A war has broken out within Kerala's ruling Congress party over the appointment of controversial IPS official Tomin J Thachankery as MarketFed MD even as reports came out that the NIA, which had been investigating the charge that the he had held negotiations with Qatar-based Malayalee terror men, had received statements against him from a witness.
Senior Congress leader VM Sudheeran, known for his bold stands on all vital issues, on Saturday said that actions like the appointment of Thachankery, who was facing several probes including one by the NIA, would have far-reaching consequences for the party, the UDF coalition it was leading and the Government.
When asked about Sudheeran's Friday comment on Thachankery's appointment on the same line, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had said that the Congress was a large democratic party and leaders in that party were not controlled by orders but by their own self-restraint. Chandy had justified the appointment by saying that it was entirely legal.
"Such obvious wrong-doings would have cause serious problems for the party and the UDF," Sudheeran said in Kozhikode on Saturday. "The appointment (of Thachankery) and the lack of action to change the liquor policy will affect the UDF's prospects in the by-election in Piravam Assembly constituency," he said.
"I used to raise important issues in the party regularly but certain things have to be said in the open," he said in an indirect reference to Chandy's response. "One cannot pretend to be blind about the wrong-doings of the Government," he said, adding that he was raising these criticisms in order to avoid a defeat for the Congress and the coalition in the by-election.
State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala responded to Sudheeran's statement by saying, "He is a very senior leader of the party. I will talk to him on the matter." Chennithala added that the UDF was absolutely certain of its victory in the Piravam by-election.
However, a senior leader belonging to the "A" group headed by Chandy in the Congress alleged that Sudheeran was "trying to be the (VS) Achuthanandan (Opposition leader) of the Congress". "He has been opposing the Government on every aspect - Endosulfan, liquor policy, mining of sea sand and mineral sand and now the appointment of Thachankery in MarketFed," he said.
Meanwhile, the NIA, which has been looking into the allegation that Thachankery had held negotiations with some terror men in Qatar last year, has reportedly received witness statements against him. The statement was given by Reny Mathew, an accused in the case pertaining to an Internet-based slander campaign against Kerala CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.
According to reports, Thachankery had shown a picture of a person to Reny at a Doha hotel claiming that this person was a hardcore terrorist. Reny told the NIA that Thachankery had claimed that he would be travelling to Kerala from Qatar with him and that he would protect him.
