Excise officials should escort excise minister; strange directions by M R Ajith Kumar 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Excise Commissioner M R Ajithkumar has stepped forward with a strange direction that excise officials should escort their minister. The officer made this clear at a meeting of top officials convened yesterday. His direction says that even if the minister stays in a hotel or guest house, there should be officials and a vehicle. He also directed that funds should be found to keep the offices clean.

The commissioner also instructed that there should be no enforcement proceedings on the day they are escorting the minister. However, it is heard that the excise commissioner's direction was without the knowledge of the departmental minister. The excise minister's office responded that they are not aware of the excise commissioner's direction and that such an order is not possible.

However, Minister V Sivankutty came forward rejecting his directions. Sivankutty responded that the protocol of the chief minister and the ministers should be decided by the government and not by any official. ‘There is a protocol for the security of the chief minister and ministers. Things are done according to that protocol. Before the elections, some media will bring the UDF to power. After the elections, the people will bring the LDF to power. That is what is seen in Kerala.

Last time before the elections, some had decided UDF’s chief minister and the cabinet. After the elections, the LDF came to power a second time. Why should the people say they don’t want LDF. Is there a single rupee corruption allegation against any minister?’ the minister said.