Kerala: UDF, BJP demand CM's resignation, reinstatement of Senkumar

Thiruvananthapuram: The Opposition Congress led-UDF and the BJP in Kerala on Friday demanded immediate reinstatement of IPS officer T P Senkumar as the state DGP.

Joining the issue, former CPI state secretary Pannian Raveendran said that the Senkumar case was a setback to the government.

"It is a lesson. The drawback was caused due to the wrong advice of legal experts. The adverse impact was to the LDF and this should not be dismissed as a minor matter," he said in his Facebook post.

The CPI leader also said that the court expenses and other lawyers' fees should be recovered from the advisers.

Sources in the chief minister's office in the evening said that the Kerala government has reinstated Senkumar.

Attacking the government, the Opposition also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, saying the court development was a 'huge setback' to the LDF government due to its 'arrogance' in not implementing the apex court order.

The government has no other option but to re-instate Senkumar as Director General of Police, Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala said.

He was reacting to the apex court earlier in the day dismissing the state government's application seeking certain clarifications on its April 24 directive to re-instate Senkumar.

It also imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the government.

Attacking the LDF government, BJP President Kumannom Rajasekharan said the cost amount of Rs 25,000 should be recovered from the salary of the chief minister.

"The cost amount should not be paid from the public exchequer. The chief minister deliberately tried to avoid the reinstatement of Senkumar," Rajasekharan alleged.

The apex court had also sought the response of the Kerala chief secretary on a contempt plea by Senkumar, who has alleged delay in his reinstatement as DGP, despite the court order.

"This is a huge setback to the chief minister's and the government's arrogance. This government cannot continue even for a moment," Chennithala told reporters here.

Senkumar should have been appointed soon after the apex court's earlier order, he said, adding the LDF government had no right to continue in office politically or morally.

The court had on April 24 directed the reinstatement of Senkumar, saying he was transferred by the LDF government 'unfairly' and 'arbitrarily'.

Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy also criticised the government over the issue.

KPCC acting president M M Hassan demanded the resignation of the chief minister in view of the Supreme Court order.

The apex court verdict "is a consequence of the chief minister's arrogance," he told reporters.

NDA Kerala Vice-Chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the Supreme Court verdict was yet another 'stinging slap' on the Kerala government after the court set aside the removal of Senkumar.

"Perhaps this will educate the CM about how the law works in the country. Perhaps this will also educate the CM against misusing his powers against officials like Senkumar and Sriram Venkataram, Devikulam Sub-Collector," he said in a statement here.