Kerala Congress continues to question CM Vijayan over DGP’s appointment

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Congress continued its attack on chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the appointment of Loknath Behara as the state police chief. The Congress demanded on Tuesday that Vijayan explain the hurry to appoint Behara to the post, ignoring the seniority of four other IPS officers.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullapally Ramachandran told the media that the chief minister should make it clear why a man removed from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was appointed to the post.

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"Why was Behara appointed in a hurry? What was the pressing hurry for appointing him, disregarding the seniority of four IPS officers? Should not the official's credentials have been enquired into?" Ramachandran, a former minister of state for home affairs, asked.

On Saturday, Ramachandran had alleged that Behara was appointed as the state DGP at the behest of Modi after he, as senior NIA officer, gave him and the BJP president Amit Shah a clean chit in the Gujarat riots and the Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter cases.

Ramachandran said he stood firm with the allegations he had levelled against Behara.

"I had made my views absolutely clear from the beginning. Immediately after his appointment, I made my stand clear. What more do you want?," he said.

Vijayan on Monday said he was not a person to dance to the "whims and fancies" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.                                                                                              

(With inputs from PTI) 

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