Kerala CPI(M) Secretary Accuses CM's Office of Shielding Drug Peddlers
M.V. Govindan, CPI(M) State secretary, alleged the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) harbors synthetic drug peddlers arrested on charges of supplying to Youth Congress leaders. He criticized the CMO's alleged involvement in suppressing critical social media content.
Key takeaways
- CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan accused the Chief Minister's Office of harboring synthetic drug peddlers.
- Four Youth Congress leaders were arrested on charges related to synthetic drug peddling.
- Govindan alleged these individuals managed the Chief Minister's social media and had been seen with him.
- The CPI(M) secretary also criticized the CMO for allegedly attempting to remove critical social media content.
- Govindan accused the UDF government of ceding executive power to the central government and mishandling disaster response.
M.V. Govindan, the State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has accused the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) of providing cover for synthetic drug peddlers. Govindan pointed to the recent arrest of four Youth Congress leaders on charges of synthetic drug peddling as evidence of alleged corruption within Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan’s office.
Govindan stated that the police initially arrested Youth Congress leaders Muhammad Hussien, P.A. Abdul Salam, and P. Abbas based on anonymous tips without recognizing their political connections. He further alleged that these individuals managed Mr. Satheesan’s social media accounts, including the creation of videos that praised the Chief Minister. Social media has circulated images of Mr. Satheesan with these individuals in the CMO and at their homes. Official footage reportedly shows one of the accused accompanying Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty to the Assembly.
The CPI(M) secretary also accused Mr. Satheesan of leveraging government influence to pressure social media companies, such as META, to remove posts that highlighted the Chief Minister's alleged familiarity with drug traffickers. Govindan suggested this tactic mirrored strategies used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to suppress domestic criticism.
Additionally, Govindan criticized the UDF government for what he termed an inappropriate precedent of seeking central force assistance, including the Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force, through BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. This assistance was reportedly for locating fishermen lost at sea off the coast of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. Govindan asserted that the government had relinquished its executive authority to the central ruling party under the guise of disaster response.
He also challenged Mr. Satheesan's claims regarding relief disbursement for victims of natural calamities. Govindan recalled that the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had waived legal restrictions to provide ₹22 lakh each to 142 fishing families who lost their primary earners, including 33 whose bodies were not recovered after the 2016-17 Okhi cyclone. The LDF also reportedly provided jobs, housing, and educational support for the children of victims. Govindan accused the UDF of dismantling search and rescue infrastructure, including a volunteer force of 200 fishermen and boats, which he claimed delayed response to maritime calamities and left families seeking assistance for extended periods.
Sources reviewed
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