Nayanar attacks Antony

Former chief minister E.K. Nayanar yesterday came down heavily on Chief Minister A.K. Antony and asked him to quit the home (interior) department portfolio if he could not control the police.

Nayanar was inaugurating the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) district committee-sponsored march to the office of the Inspector General of Police here demanding a judicial probe into the baton charge by the local police on Student Federation of India (SFI) activists.

Vowing to intensify agitation against issues like commercialisation of education and privatisation, he said "no one need to dream of suppressing our strikes by resorting to lathicharge and firing".

Nayanar said Antony had failed in ruling the state and managing the home department. He said he was well aware of the chief minister's shortcomings.

"Even the leaders of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) like K. Karunakaran, UDF convener Oommen Chandy and V.M. Sudheeran (Congress party MP) all share my view."

"Antony has a director general of police (DGP) who knows only to shoot," added Nayanar.

He referred to the arrest of Kozhikode Congress District Committee president Beerankutty and the police attack on a leader of the Kerala Students Union, the student wing of the Congress party, in Kollam and said Antony's police policy would not be able to crush protest actions by the Left parties which enjoyed mass support.

Observing that the newly formed Highway Police in the state were extorting money from people, Nayanar said that even a people's representative like him was asked by the police to cough up Rs200 though neither he nor his driver had not flouted any traffic rules.

"Though my vehicle was signaled to stop by the police at Vadakara, I refused to stop. Though I was cornered at Puthupally, they quietly left the scene after seeing me," said Nayanar.

Thousands of people attended the march that began from Muthalakulam. It was stopped near the English Church and the activists staged a sit-in on the road.

Subsequently, a memorandum was submitted to North Zone Inspector General of Police G. Venugopal Nair.