Scarcely a month after coming to power, the UDF Government is ‘celebrating’ its commitment to combating corruption by ordering mass transfer of the police officers investigating cases against three of its ministers.

The ‘beneficiaries’ of the Government’s move are Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, Health Minister Adoor Prakash and Panchayats Minister M K Muneer. The last named has as many as nine cases pending against him.

What is compounding the Government’s offence is the blatant violation of rules which say that police officers who have not completed five years of service in a place should not be transferred.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is on a weak wicket when he says that the same officers appointed by the former LDF Government will continue to investigate the infamous ice cream parlour case against Kunhalikutty. If the same officers were to cotinue with the probes, why transfer them in the first instance? The CM is silent on this aspect; he has also maintained a deafening silence on the flagrant violation of rules in the transfer of these police officers.

The dubious moves reinforce the public perception that it is a deliberate attempt to sabotage the cases. Leader of the Opposition V S Achuthanandan has also accused the UDF Government of trying to scuttle the investigations against its ministers by effecting mass transfer of the concerned police officers. VS has warned the UDF Government of a strong agitation if it does not mend its ways. In a significant observation, VS said he would launch the agitation even if the party does not extend him the requisite support. “I am healthy enough to take up this fight singlehandedly,” he observed in an obvious dig at his detractors.

Mr Achuthanandan has also accused the Government of diluting the CBI probe against the lottery mafia with a view to protecting Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi. VS is on record that by issuing notification only in32 cases, the government has ignored his request to address the real issues of hawala money involved in the lottery scandal and the allegation that the lottery money was used to fund terrorist organizations.

The enthusiasm of the Chandy Government to sabotage the investigations against its ministers is matched only by the alacrity with which it has ordered a vigilance inquiry against the son of VS, Arun Kumar. This is at odds with the Chief Minister’s public assertion that his government won’t resort to the politics of vendetta. (IPA)