CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan said Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnadan had unwittingly offered the LDF government an early and welcome opportunity to clear its name by getting rapped by an anti-corruption court for moving a baseless and politically motivated false complaint of corruption and nepotism against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter, Veena Vijayan.
Mr. Govindan said the judge summarily threw out Mr Kuzhalnadan’s plea for a court-monitored vigilance investigation into the latter’s much-touted insistence that a Kochi-based mining company had contracted Ms. Veena’s IT consultancy for a sizeable monthly retainer as a quid pro quo for Mr. Vijayan’s nod for acquiring “excess land” to quarry for rare minerals in Alappuzha district in contravention of Central government norms.
The court observed that Mr. Vijayan had not favoured the company in question. The Chief Minister had referred the company’s representation to the Industries secretary for appropriate action. The court went further, stating that it could not even imagine the Chief Minister having a corrupt intention.
Mr. Govindan said Mr Kuzhalnadan’s edifice of lies had collapsed like a palace of cards and seemingly belied the latter’s much-hyped legal and political proficiency claims.
He said BJP leader P. C. George and his son, Shaun George, were part of the plot to denigrate the LDF government. Both had lobbied for an SFIO probe into Ms. Vijayan under a provision of the Companies Act.
Mr. Govindan said the SFIO’s investigation contravened the High Court’s decision that the agency could only probe the firm and not Ms. Veena as a person.
Mr .Govindan said the Vigilance court order, “won” by Kuzhalnadan, would legally chill efforts to subvert Constitutional agencies to target Mr Vijayan and his family.
“In a roundabout and unintended way, Mr Kuzhalnadan has done the CPI(M) and government a service”, he said.
Mr Govindan dared Mr. Kuzhalnadan to keep the latter’s promise to apologise and quit politics if the court proved his insinuations against Mr. Vijayan wrong.
He said Mr. Kuzhalnadan has suffered a personal and political cave-in. His questionable actions as a headline hogging vexatious litigant and false propagandist have put the Congress to shame.
Mr. Govindan said the government would vigorously pursue the Idukki land-grab case against Mr. Kuzhalnadan to expose the Congress legislator’s double standards.
