Central forces arrive in Kerala as govt. braces for stir

With
LDF
opposition threatening to lay an indefinite
siege of the secretariat from Monday
demanding resignation of Chief Minister
Oommen Chandy over the solar panel scam,
Central forces on Saturday arrived in
Kerala to assist the police.
Out of 20 companies of forces sought by the
state, the first batch of ITBP personnel
reached Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday
morning and one company of BSF in
politically volatile Kannur district as the
CPI(M) and its LDF allies started galvanising
about one lakh volunteers to be dispatched
for the protest.
According to official sources, more
contingents of central forces would reach
the state in the next two days to maintain
law and order during the siege, especially
since it has been planned during the run-up
to the Independence Day.
The Central Stadium adjacent to the
secretariat complex is the main venue of
Independence Day celebrations, to be
attended by Governor, Chief Minister and
other dignitaries.
Unfazed by the preparations to tackle the
protest sternly, the LDF has begun to
mobilise volunteers from across the state to
be sent to the state capital.
“Without fail, the volunteers will reach the
state capital at the right time as planned
whatever be the preparations made by the
government to deal with the protest,” the
CPI(M) Kannur district secretary P
Jayarajan told reporters.
Seeking to pre-empt the risk posed by such
a large gathering of protesters in the city,
police have instructed hoteliers and lodgers
here not to accommodate the volunteers
pouring in from all the 14 districts in the
state.
Educational institutions in the capital will
remain closed for two days from Monday in
view of traffic disruptions and other
inconvenience to be caused by the protest.
As the lead partner of the LDF, CPI(M)
alone would be mobilising about 75,000
volunteers through its nearly 25,000 branch
committees in the state and the CPI another
25,000 through its grass-root units.
National leaders of the Left and allied
parties, including former Prime Minister
and JD(S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda, CPI(M)’s
Prakash Karat and CPI’s Sudhakar Reddy
would be addressing the protesters on the
initial day.
Solar scam, rocking the state for some two
months, has brought Mr. Chandy under a
cloud, especially after the arrest of a
Personal Assistant in his office for his
alleged links with the accused. Another
Personal Staff member and gunman have
been removed from the CMO after they
came under shadow of suspicion.
The scam pertains to financial cheating of
several people by the accused Biju
Radkahrishnan and Saritha Nair, both
under arrest, by offering clients solar
energy solutions.
The accused allegedly flaunted their clout
with the CM’s office for duping the
unsuspecting clients of huge sums.
Ever since it surfaced, LDF has been
pressing Mr. Chandy’s resignation and a
judicial probe into the scam, a demand
rejected by him.