Kerala’s Congress-led Opposition UDF will approach the High Court seeking legal action against CPI(M)’s Power Minister MM Mani for the obscene comments he had made against the woman tea estate workers of Munnar even as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan admitted that there had been serious lapses on the part of the police since the CPI(M)-led lDF came to power in the State.
“We have decided to launch intense agitation inside and outside the Assembly seeking Mani’s resignation. Congress’s parliamentary party secretary PT Thomas will approach the High Court with a plea in this regard,” said Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala in the House, which witnessed noisy Opposition protests over against the Minister, on Tuesday.
“We have also decided to boycott Minister Mani. However, we will not stall the House’s proceedings since several matters relating to important people’s issues are to be raised,” said Chennithala. The Opposition had been protesting in the House demanding Mani’s resignation since the start of the session on April 25.
Mani had recently made some extremely dirty remarks against Ponpilai Orumai (Women’s Unity), a forum of Munnar’s woman tea workers who had in 2015 held a legendary struggle demanding higher wages and bonus. “Many things had happened (during their stir). Boozing and other dirty things had taken place. The ‘work’ was in the nearby forest,” he said.
The police in Rajakkad, Idukki have initiated an inquiry into the Mani controversy on the basis of a complaint filed by the Youth Congress. Apart from that, at least half a dozen other complaints, including one from Chennithala himself, have already been filed.
The Ponpilai Orumai is on an agitation in Munnar for the past ten days demanding Mani’s resignation.
At the same time, Chief Minister Pinarayi, who is also holding the charge of Home Affairs, admitted in the Assembly that there had been serious lapses from the part of the police since his Government assumed office almost a year ago. However, he did not clarify the incidents or cases in which the police had been at fault.
Pinarayi said that the reason for these lapses was the failure of some police officials to act in accordance with the policies of the lDF Government. They were not being able to do this because of the “hangover” from the days of the 2011-16 UDF rule, he said. The Chief Minister had apologised at least four times on the floor of the House over police’s lapses.
Meanwhile, the Opposition unleashed a scathing attack against the Chief Minister and the Government over their refusal to reinstate TP Senkumar IPS as Director General of Police (law and Order), a position from which he was ousted by the current Government on June 1 last, in accordance with the April 24 order of the Supreme Court.
“I am extremely ashamed to point out that the Chief Minister cannot even tell us who the DGP in charge of law and order in the State is,” said the Opposition leader while speaking on a notice for adjournment motion in the matter, moved by a UDF member.