The Hindu : Kerala News : Pay-off case: Vigilance court examines M.Vijayakumar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 16, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

Pay-off case: Vigilance court examines M.Vijayakumar

Special Correspondent

Party inquiry had found charges against Kadakampally Surendran untrue

MAKES STAND CLEAR: The former Speaker M. Vijayakumar leaving the Vigilance Special Court after appearing as a witness in the Manichan pay-off case trial in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: : The former Speaker and CPI(M) district secretary M. Vijayakumar was examined before Vigilance Special Judge M. S. Mohanachandran on Wednesday in the ongoing trial of the case in which the former CPI(M) MLA Kadakampally Surendran stands accused of accepting a bribe of Rs.50,000 from the liquor contractor Manichan.

Mr. Vijayakumar said the party had inquired thoroughly into the charge that Mr. Surendran had taken money from Manichan and found it to be untrue. At the same time, other LDF workers could have taken money illegally and the party had taken stern action against the guilty persons.

Mr. Vijayakumar said he and party colleague Pirappancode Murali had been asked to conduct the internal inquiry into the charges of party members receiving illegal pay-offs. On the basis of their report, the party committee decided to give "maximum punishment" to the guilty persons.

Accordingly, M. Sathyanesan, former Thiruvananthapuram district secretary, and Gouthaman, former Parassala area convenor, were suspended from the party, he said. No action had been taken against anyone else.

Mr. Vijayakumar said the Dy.S.P., Vigilance, had told him that Mr. Surendran had admitted to taking money. He (Mr. Vijayakumar) had then told the official that the money was collected towards election funds. He had given a detailed statement on the matter before the Mohan Kumar Commission and the Vigilance.

It was normal for the party to collect funds for election purposes and a receipt would be given for the amount. Funds were collected for the 1999 parliamentary election in this manner, Mr. Vijayakumar said.

On being asked by the judge to explain what he meant by `masappady' (monthly pay-off), he said it was the practice of collecting money illegally and using it for private purposes.

Manichan's former employer Sreekantan stated that Manichan was just a worker in his arrack shop in 1987.

But by the time the arrack ban came into force in 1996, Manichan was able to quote a price of Rs.4 crores for 26 toddy shops, which earlier went for just Rs.25 lakhs.

Toddy would not yield that kind of profit unless it was sold mixed with spirit, he said.

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