Autocratic style of Pinarayi Vijayan will not be tolerated: Congress

Thiruvananthapuram, April 21

State Congress president K. Sudhakaran on Thursday warned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to stop his autocratic style of functioning immediately, or he will have to pay a heavy price for it.

Sudhakaran was speaking to the media in his home town Kannur when angry Congress workers pulled out a marking stone laid as part of the ongoing survey for the K-Rail project, which is now become a contentious issue with the police taking on the protesters.

On Thursday morning protesters were manhandled by the police in the state capital with visuals showing a police officer kicking a fallen protester.

In Kannur, angry Congress workers took on the police on Thursday evening and Sudhakaran also arrived at the venue.

"Vijayan should understand that he is testing the patience of the people here as it is high time he ends his autocratic style of functioning to hit the people using the police. He should desist from this style as this project (K-Rail) is not going to materialise. The tears of lakhs of people will fall in Kerala if this project goes forward and this will be the biggest force which will turn against those who are hell bent on going forward. If he does not change, the might of the people will be seen," said Sudhakaran.

The Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference also reacted sharply to the way the police took on the protesters.

"This is nothing but arrogance of the government and such a thing should not have happened against genuine protesters who are fighting for their piece of land," said the KCBC.

The Kerala police have ordered a departmental probe by a senior officer into the alleged police brutality.

"If the police fails to correct their style of functioning, then people might turn around and take on the police on the streets. We are not going to be cowed down by arrests, cases and such things,' warned Sudhakaran.