The proximate cause for the escalating tension between the two groups has been the Chief Minister’s decision to clear the promotion of controversial IPS officer Tomin Thachankary as Additional Director General of Police, ignoring the Home Minister’s recommendation that he should be consulted before taking a decision in the matter.

The controversial Thachankary had become due for promotion as ADGP in January 2012. But the proposal had been pending for many reasons including departmental action against him and amassment of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. Departmental action was dropped subsequently and his suspension revoked. But the vigilance case is still pending against him in the court. It was the screening committee consisting of the Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Police chief which had recommended withholding of Thachankary’s promotion because of the pending case.

The state cabinet, however, overruled the recommendation and decided to promote Thachankary. It is learnt that the Cabinet decision had the backing of the Advocate General and the law Secretary, who took a position favouring the controversial IPS officer’s promotion as additional DGP.

Home Minister Chennithala himself has made no secret of his displeasure over the CM’s unilateral decision by openly saying that he was unaware of it. Significantly, Chennithala was not present at the Cabinet meeting which took the controversial decision.

As if this was not enough, the Chief Minister also decided to withdraw the case against Kerala Student Union(KSU) members who had poured motor oil on an IAS officer of the Education Department. KSU chief and other office-bearers of the Union were themselves taken aback by the CM’s decision to withdraw the case. The KSU had taken action against the erring members by suspending them. But the CM sprang an unpleasant surprise both on the KSU and the Home Minister by ignoring their opposition to the move. That he withdrew the decision following pressure from all quarters later is a different matter. But the CM’s pathological proclivity to take controversial decisions had created great resentment in the I group.

Another instance of the fresh flare-up of the tension between the A and the I groups has come with the A group leaders in Kannur district reviving their campaign against former MP and prominent I group leader of the district, K. Sudhakaran in protest against his aggressive and abrasive style of functioning. The A group led by former DCC president Ramakrishnan has also succeeded in weaning away from the I group two loyalists of Sudhakaran to their side. The A group’s move is bound to further sharpen the factional strife in the district.

The two rival groups had joined hands to cut to size their ‘common enemy’, KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran, who had taken an uncompromising stance on the bar licences renewal issue, . Both the I and A groups had criticized Sudheeran’s tough stand, accusing the KPCC chief of bringing a bad name to the Congress-led United Democratic Front(UDF) Government by openly criticizing the Government’s stand on the bar licences issue and the liquor policy U-turn.

It is this ‘ceasefire’ which is now threatening to collapse, fuelling a fresh flare-up of factional tensions in the Congress. (IPA Service)