Kerala's Political Tug-of-War: CM Vijayan Defends Secretary Amidst Controversy

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan staunchly defends his political secretary, P Sasi, against continuous attacks from MLA P V Anvar. Anvar, formerly of the Congress, has accused Sasi and ADGP M R Ajithkumar of corruption. Vijayan refuted these claims, asserting Sasi's integrity and the office’s commitment to due process.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday strongly backed his political secretary, P Sasi, who has faced constant attacks from Left independent MLA P V Anvar.

Sharply criticising Anvar for continuously holding press conferences to criticise Sasi and ADGP M R Ajithkumar, the CM described the Nilambur legislator as someone not with a Leftist background but rather as having come from the Congress party.

Vijayan said Sasi is a member of the CPI(M) state committee and he is carrying out exemplary work as his political secretary as per the party directive.

''There was no wrongdoing on his part. No matter who says otherwise, all such claims can be dismissed with contempt, and no investigation is required into these matters,'' Vijayan told a press conference reacting to queries regarding Anvar's allegations.

Anvar has continued to keep the Chief Minister's Office on edge by intensifying his attack against Ajithkumar and Sasi, raising various issues.

On Friday, Anvar alleged that Sasi helped create the impression that Vijayan was responsible for delaying the Vigilance investigation into Ajithkumar regarding his complaint of accepting bribes and misappropriating wealth.

The chief minister said Sasi is not there to accept and act on complaints from Anvar or others without scrutiny.

''He is there to ensure that due process is followed. If he were to act otherwise, neither Sashi nor anyone else would be able to hold office,'' Vijayan said.

He emphasised that illegal demands would not be entertained by his office, and those who reject such requests cannot be removed.

(With inputs from agencies.)