Speaker of the Kerala Assembly, P Sreeramakrishnan, on Thursday refuted the charges of corruption and wasteful expenditure levelled by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala saying it did not benefit democracy to attack Constitutional bodies on the basis of mere hearsay and speculation.

The Speaker, who is also being politically pilloried for his closeness to the gold smuggling accused, conceded that he had failed in understanding the background of accused Swapna Suresh who he insisted was known to him only as an employee of the UAE Consulate.

Since the opposition leader had sought to tarnish his record as Speaker, Sreeramakrishnan began his press conference by putting his record straight. He said his main focus in the last four years was to transform the Kerala Assembly into the best in the country.

“And our work was recognised at the national level more than once,” he said. Further, he said that many programmes that the Kerala Assembly had pioneered were adopted as models at the national level.

Dignity for NRKs

Chennithala was especially critical of the contracts the Speaker had given Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) violating established norms. He had alleged that the Sankara Narayanan Thampi Hall inside the Assembly complex, which was first renovated for Rs 1.84 crore in 2018, was spruced up in an even grandiose manner two years later for Rs 16.65 crore.

The Speaker said the Hall was given a face-lift to give the Loka Kerala Sabha the dignity it deserved. Chennthala had said the hall was now kept closed but the Speaker said it could be used for other major events. "Many opposition members had appreciated the renovation and now they accuse me of extravagance," the Speaker said.

Why ULCCS was chosen

He said it was with great respect that he looked upon the services of the ULCCS. "The labour cooperative has a sterling history that I bow to. They do their work in a disciplined and honest manner," Sreeramakrishnan said.

Though the administrative sanction for the second renovation was Rs 16.65 crore, the Speaker said the ULCCS completed the work for Rs 9.17 crore. "The cooperative returned the unspent money, making it perhaps the only contractor in the world to do such a thing," the Speaker said. "If they were given work, their capability to meet deadlines was also taken into consideration," he added.

Paperless Assembly and Palarivattom flyover

E-Vidhan Sabha, or the paperless Assembly project, was the other project in which Chennithala alleged corruption. He said the Rs 52.31-crore project was awarded to the ULCCS without tender.

He said the "funny" thing about this project was that the Speaker had even paid a mobilisation advance of Rs 13.53 to the ULCCS. "It should be noted that the payment of a mobilisation advance is the only charge against Ibrahim Kunju (the former PWD minister who is now in custody for irregularities in the Palarivattom flyover scam)," Chennithala had said.

The Speaker said the E-Vidhan Sabha project was conceived to reduce costs. He said there was a high-level Assembly committee, which he said was set up on the request of the opposition leader, supervising the progress of the project. "Opposition members are also part of the committee," the Speaker said.

He said the mobilisation advance of 30 per cent of the project cost was given to the ULCCS with the knowledge of the high-level committee. He said the project would bring about a saving of Rs 40 crore annually.

Swapna shock

The Speaker also took questions on his alleged links with the gold smuggling accused. "I have not accepted any help from the accused," he said. "I knew Swapna Suresh, and was even friendly with her. She was familiar as an employee of the UAE Consulate," he said.

He said he had erred in not checking her background. "But once I came to know of her shocking background, I have not contacted her even once," he said.

He also said he would think of moving legally against the BJP state president K Surendran who had alleged that the Speaker was the "powerful" person Swapna Suresh had referred to in her statement to the Customs.