Differences crop up in Congress over Keralam government’s 'soft approach' in CMRL-Exalogic pay-off case

Differences have cropped up within the Congress over the State government’s alleged ‘soft approach’ towards Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan in the High Court in the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL)-Exalogic pay-off case.

Soon after a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday dismissed the pleas filed by former Keralam Chief Minister and current Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T. Veena, and son-in-law and former Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas to file an appeal against a single judge’s directive to register an FIR against them, Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan directed a veiled criticism at the State government over its wait-and-watch approach through a preliminary inquiry.

“If the government has opted for a preliminary inquiry based on legal advice, it is now clear from the observations of the Single Bench and the Division Bench of the High Court that it was wrong. I hope that those in responsible positions will explain the decision in party forums,” said Mr. Kuzhalnadan, who went on to raise the issue in the Congress parliamentary party meeting, leading to heated debates with the leadership, including Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.

The senior leaders are of the opinion that a hasty FIR in the aftermath of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sharing information under Section 66 (2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) would have enabled the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to level allegations of a deal with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

‘Hounding of Chandy’

At the parliamentary party meeting, Mr. Kuzhalnadan is learnt to have registered his strong protest at the Advocate General “desperately arguing” before a High Court Division Bench for a stay on the Single Bench order to register the FIR against Mr. Vijayan and kin. He also spoke emotionally about the then LDF government “hounding” former Chief Minister, the late Oommen Chandy. In response, the Chief Minister and the Home Minister spoke of the pragmatic approach of the government. But Mr. Kuzhalnadan, sources said, took strong exception to such a “practical stance”.

Mr. Chennithala said in a press conference on Thursday that the government had taken the correct stance. “There is no setback. Our stance has been that no hasty step should be taken. Now that the court has ordered, the FIR has been filed,” he said.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Congress spokesperson Jinto John said the delay in registering a case is bound to invite suspicion. He asked whether Congress leaders had forgotten the alleged attempts to implicate Chandy in the solar scam case, Mr. Satheesan in the Punarjani case, and Congress MP K. Sudhakaran in the Monson Mavunkal case, based on false statements.

“It is a welcome position that there will be no unethical witch-hunts, unlike what was witnessed during Mr. Vijayan’s tenure. At the same time, there must be absolutely no actions that could be perceived as helping the central figure of the pay-off scandal to escape unscathed,” he wrote. He also criticised the State government’s stance against the petitioner in the case, K.M. Shajahan.