Thrissur: No sooner did the Kerala High Court stay the arrest of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil till December 15, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the order was a “natural judicial step” and rejected allegations that the government was deliberately delaying action.
Speaking at a media interaction here on Saturday, the Chief Minister asserted that the police had never sought to avoid arresting the Congress legislator, who is facing a rape charge and remains absconding.
“There is no requirement before the police that his arrest must be stopped. The claim that the police are intentionally holding back is incorrect,” Vijayan said, adding that the High Court’s interim order was part of standard judicial procedure.
Incidentally Vijayan who always keeps the media at bay on account of the December 9th and 11th two-phased local body polls starting Friday has decided to meet the media during his tour of the state as part of his election campaign.
Shifting focus to local governance, the Chief Minister highlighted the “transformational performance” of the Thrissur Corporation over recent years.
He noted that the once-notorious Laloor waste dump had been eliminated and the city elevated to the status of a ‘Zero Waste Corporation.’
Significant civic projects — including the skywalk, the Vanchikulam tourism development, Peechi drinking water scheme, and the Ollur water reservoir — were cited as examples of sustained municipal progress.
Thrissur’s recognition as a UNESCO Learning City, he added, reflected improvements in health, education and urban management.
The LIFE Mission housing scheme, he said, had provided homes to thousands and remained a model intervention.
Vijayan also used the occasion to strongly counter allegations that the CPI(M) was linked to Jamaat-e-Islami.
“Those making such accusations are leaders who can say anything without responsibility,” he remarked.
Tracing the organisation’s past electoral behaviour, he said Jamaat-e-Islami had cast its first vote only in 1985 and its 1996 votes were protest votes against the Congress, not support for the Left.
“At no point have we sought their backing, nor have we ever offered them a certificate of approval,” he said, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated.
(IANS)
