State gifts embattled LDF a Piravom poll plank

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Fort Police suo motu filed a case against ‘1000 women’ who offered Attukal pongala just days after Chief Minister Oommen Chandy voiced assurances in the Assembly that the annual assemblage of women will in no way be hit by the High Court directives.But now the police case - though short-lived - has gifted an embattled LDF a sturdy poll plank for the upcoming Piravom bypolls.On March 5, the Chief Minister had told the House that the State Government would even explore the possibility of introducing a piece of legislation to overcome the High Court directives banning meetings on public roads. The Advocate-General would file a Special Leave Petition before the High Court regarding the government’s stand. The Court order would not affect the pongala as it did not fall within its ambit, Chandy had said.Chandy himself had convened a meeting ahead of the pongala to review arrangements. The government had also hastily sanctioned `12 crore for pongala-related infrastructure works. The government even declared a holiday for the festival.   All this was thrown to the winds when the police filed the case on Monday and the government scrambled to undo what it later termed a ‘lapse on the part of the police.’The CPM-led LDF, pushed to a wobbly backfoot after the abrupt resignation of R Selvaraj and the comments made by V S Achuthanandan against Sindhu Joy, see in the pongala row a gleaming weapon for the upcoming Piravom bypolls.Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan condemned what he termed Chandy’s attempt to wriggle out of the issue by blaming police officers. CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM state committee member M Vijayakumar said it was breach of privilege on the part of the Chief Minister as he had gone against assurances given in the Assembly.The CPI, in a statement here, termed the police action ‘unjust.’ ‘’The Home Department and the police had made the arrangements for the successful conduct of the festival. If a case has to be registered, it has to be against the Chief Minister, who hold the Home Portfolio, and top police officials,’’ CPI leaders said. Angered by the police action, the BJP took out a march to the Fort Police Station leading to minor clashes with the police. BJP state president V Muraleedharan called the police case an attack on Hindu beliefs. He demanded Chandy to withdraw the case and apologise to the people of Kerala. Shiva Sena alleged that the police action would whip up religious enmity.Devaswom Minister V S Sivakumar said that the government would examine the circumstances which led to the police case.The Chief Minister had made the government’s stand clear that the pongala did not fall within the ambit of the Court directive, Sivakumar said, adding that the pongala did not obstruct traffic.