Embattled LDF govt plots counter-attack against opposition

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM-led Left Democratic Government of Kerala is making desperate attempts to turn the tables on the opposition parties in the wake of the latter's all-round attack over the recent spate of sensational crimes carried out by shady elements with links to top functionaries in the Kerala Cabinet and main ruling party.

The government has issued a clear warning to the opposition that its police would come calling for its leaders soon as they try to reap political benefits from the current probe by central agencies into the gold smuggling case and narcotic case of CPM leader's son.

Making its intentions of counter-attack clear, the government reopened the solar fraud case against the opposition United Democratic Front on the one hand and unleashed an all-out offensive against the BJP-led central government alleging move to 'derail’ pro-people schemes in Kerala under the garb of investigating cases.

Old cases to be reopened

The state government, which has been on the defensive over the recent scandals, is re-opening the old solar and bar bribe cases to target the opposition. The state government wants to get a quick verification done by the Vigilance against opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, former Congress ministers V S Sivakumar and K Babu in the wake of the fresh revelations made by hotelier Biju Ramesh in connection with the bar bribery case.

The government's move to target the opposition clearly reflected in the very recent episode in which the state Women’s Commission registered a case suo motu against KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran within hours of his controversial statement denigrating women and rape victims.

The government has also tightened the investigation noose around Congress legislators P T Thomas and V D Satheeshan as well as Muslim League MLA K M Shaji.

Wary of the government’s intentions, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has hit out at the DGP publicly for targeting the opposition leaders. He is planning to move the High Court against the alleged political vendetta.

The current political circumstances in the wake of the gold smuggling scandal have forced the ruling dispensation to revive the solar case which has its origins seven years ago. The Kerala chief minister's office was dragged in both the cases. Even though the incumbent chief minister, Pinrayi Vijayan, has repeatedly stated that there is no comparison between the two, questions are being raised on the ground as to which case has more serious ramifications.

Centre too on target

With the central investigation agencies now targeting the K-FON project after the graft-stained Life Mission project, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been forced to backtrack on the cooperative stand with the Centre and its agencies. The political ramifications of this change have to be seen.

Fresh move on Solar Case

The state government has now initiated a move to register a case on the basis of a special complaint filed by the complainant lady in the solar scandal that had rocked the previous UDF government. The move for a fresh probe is to circumvent the High Court's existing stay on registering a case on the basis of her earlier letter.

Justice A K Jayasankar Nambiar had stayed the registration of case on the basis of her letter, after admitting a petition filed by former chief minister Oommen Chandy.

Even though the court lifted the restrictions imposed on the media for reporting the matter, it also pointed out that the issue should be reported in keeping with the spirit of the earlier order and exercising due diligence.

The court had observed that the contents of the complainant's letter had no link with the matters probed by the Solar Commission. It directed that no action be taken by the government on the basis of the letter.

With the letter removed from the commission report, the special team which was constituted by the government for the purpose, was left with no issue to probe.

Even though the government had sought the advice of justice Arajit Pasayat on the High Court verdict, it was pointed out that the case cannot be registered just on the basis of the letter and without evidence. Subsequently in order to circumvent the HC verdict a separate complaint was obtained from the complainant against Oommen Chandy and an FIR was registered in a separate case. However in the absence of evidence, the probe could not go any further.