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Kerala Government survives no-trust vote

Special Correspondent

Lavalin probe will be taken to its logical conclusion: Chandy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: : The no-confidence motion against the Oommen Chandy Government has been rejected.

Eighty-two members voted against the motion when it was put to vote at the end of a three-day discussion in the Assembly on Tuesday evening. There were only 46 "ayes' for the motion. The outcome was a foregone conclusion because of the numerical superiority of the UDF.

Earlier, replying to the discussion on the no-confidence motion moved by Deputy Leader of the Opposition Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday reiterated that the Government proposed to take the ongoing Vigilance probe into the SNC Lavalin deal to its logical conclusion without using it as a political weapon.

Government position

Replying to the discussion on the no-trust motion moved in the State Assembly by the Opposition, he said he was constrained to restate the Government's position since the Lavalin deal had dominated the discussion throughout.

"The CPI(M) MLA Thomas Isaac had devoted more than 30 minutes to defend the case on the first day of the discussion. And, on the second day, he even moved an objection against the Lavalin issue being discussed in the House.

It was only then that I realised the real significance of the issue. Does it not have some significance within your party?" he asked.

The House witnessed noisy scenes several times on the third and last day of the discussion on the no-trust motion on Tuesday as both the Opposition and the Treasury Benches fired allegations at one another liberally.

The Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader T. M. Jacob alleged large-scale corruption in the permission accorded to a private entrepreneur by top officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) to set up signboards at 350 vital locations along the national highways.

Mr. Jacob alleged that the Chief Minister's office had intervened to stall an inquiry proposed by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) into this deal.

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