The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Verdict a setback to LDF Government: UDF

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Wednesday, Jan 17, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Verdict a setback to LDF Government: UDF

Special Correspondent

Government should apologise to people: Chennithala

Thiruvananthapuram: The United Democratic Front (UDF) on Tuesday said the High Court verdict handing over the SNC Lavalin case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was a major setback to the LDF Government that had tried to scuttle the move.

Addressing a press conference here, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala said the CPI(M) Polit Bureau was going all out to protect the party's State leadership which was in the dock on the Lavalin issue.

In reply to a question, he said the CPI (M)'s central leadership should decide if it was appropriate to permit a tainted leader to continue to hold his post. He said he did not want to comment on an issue that was an internal matter of a political party. But this was for the first time that the State leadership of the party had been put in the dock in a corruption case.

"The LDF Government should come out with a public apology to the people" Mr. Chennithala said.

He said the Government and the Home Minister had made all kinds of attempts to avert a CBI inquiry. Neither the CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan nor Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, as the then non-official member of the Kerala State Electricity Board that took the Lavalin decision, could escape from the corruption charges. He said the court verdict vindicated the UDF's stand and proved that the UDF Government's decision to refer the case to the CBI was not politically motivated.

In reply to another question, he said it was indeed a matter of concern that the CPI(M), which had demanded CBI inquiry for the Muthanga, Marad and several other minor issues, should have bent backwards to avert one in the Lavalin case.

Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy said the High Court verdict was a major setback to the LDF Government.

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