The raid on a digital CD studio, manufacturing fake CDs, has aggravated the ongoing war between the Pinarayi and V.S. Atchudanandan factions in the CPM, putting into question the future of the LDF regime and state'sprogress.
Inspector General of Police Rishiraj Singh, an honest and upright officer, was posted as the nodal officer for anti-piracy bureau, in the wake of complaints from the film industry that fake CDs of films are coming out, the next day of release of a feature film, causing crores of rupees loss to the cinema industry. Rishiraj Singh started raiding CD parlours and confiscating lakhs of fake CDs. Several of the CD shops, on interrogation, stated that they received the fake CDs from Riyan Studio in Kochi. Incidentally, Riyan Studio is owned by Tomin J. Thachankery, an IG rank IPS officer and blue-eyed boy of CPM Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. During the CPM rule of 1991-96, when the party started its Kairali TV channel, Tomin went to Singapore and brought for it cameras, digital equipments etc worth crores of rupees. Several cases booked by customs, enforcement and vigilance departments are pending against him.
Rishiraj Singh, on December 6, raided the Riyan studio and seized several fake CDs under production. Tomin alerted the CPM godfathers and they, in turn, ordered the DGP for stopping of raid. Rishiraj Singh got a wireless message from the DGP, shifting him out of anti-piracy bureau with immediate effect and to suspend the ongoing raid.
Chief Minister summoned the DGP Raman Shrivastava, the next morning, gave him a dressing down and asked him to reinstate Rishiraj as anti-piracy bureau officer with instructions to continue raids. Raman Shrivastava, a stooge of K. Karunakaran, and who was involved in the infamous ISRO spy scandal, has now become the boot-licker of Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan (right-hand man of Pinarayi Vijayan).
Meanwhile, the DGP refused to obey the CM'sorder for reinstatement of Rishiraj Singh, since he had not received instructions from his minister Kodiyeri. The standoff continued for almost 48 hours with both V.S. and Kodiyeri refusing to budge. Later, due to intervention of CPM big-wig Prakash Karat, V.S. and Kodiyeri talked it out at Mumbai and Rishiraj Singh was reinstated in his previous post on December 10. The CM has now threatened strong action against the DGP for not acting upon his order immediately.
V.S. had earlier refused to hand over the vigilance portfolio to Kodiyeri but had to yield owing to pressure from Politburo. Later, when the Prime Minister'sconvoy was stranded in a capital city bye-lane, V.S. wanted strong action against the DGP and Addl. DGP (Intelligence) Jacob Punnose (another of Pinarayi'spet), who were responsible for the whole security, but two low-rung officers were acted upon and V.S. snubbed. But now, V.S. had hit back on Pinarayi-Kodiyeri axis.
As BJP state president P.K. Krishnadas says, ?There are two governments in the state, one run by V.S. from the government secretariat and the other run by Super C.M. Pinarayi Vijayan, from the CPM HQ, AKG Centre. The plight of Keralites ruled by these two power centres reminds us of the famous wordings ?God, save me from my friends, I will manage my enemies?. The appeal of Keralites to the CPM is, ?don'tgive us both V.S. and Pinarayi to manage, we cannot bear both?!?
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