Pinarayi rejects Chandy's offer

CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday rejected Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s offer for talks on the Secretariat siege and likened Chandy to a despot. ‘’The offer is intended to deceive,’’ Pinarayi said, adding he had just one question to the 13 posed by Chandy on Saturday.

“Why was Salim Raj, Chandy’s former gunman, represented by the Advocate-General in court?’’ Pinarayi Vijayan, who was addressing a press conference here, also ruled out exempting the Cantonment Gate of the Secretariat from the siege starting on Monday.

“There is no question of talks. There is no situation for talks. We have made our stand clear. Chandy should step down and face judicial investigation. Nothing more, nothing less,’’ Pinarayi said. ‘’He is trying to deceive. For nine consecutive days, we pleaded to the Chief Minister to discuss the issue in the Assembly.

He declined,’’ Pinarayi said. Contrary to the impression that Chandy was trying to create, the LDF had no intention to topple the government. Chandy was isolated within the UDF as even the UDF allies are blaming him for the present scenario. On Chandy’s accusation that the siege will affect government action on issues like calamity relief and price rise, Pinarayi said that the government has already failed in obtaining sufficient Central aid for the distress-hit areas.

In tackling price rise, the Chandy government has proved its inefficiency. The CPM was in full agreement with Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan who had said that he disliked going to New Delhi with cheats and bandits as part of the all-party delegation to seek financial assistance for flood-hit districts.

‘’That is the correct approach,’’ Pinarayi said. On Chandy’s demand that the CPM should reveal the source of funds for staging such a massive agitation, Pinarayi said that the money came in the form of contributions from the people who were opposed to Chandy continuing at the helm. ‘’Reportedly, Rs 30 crore is the expenses incurred in bringing the Central forces to Kerala. What about that money?’’ he asked.

On the government reportedly trying to hold people responsible for any action of CPM cadre who stay in their homes, Pinarayi said that it was what the CPM has been saying all along. ‘’Isn’t that applicable to the Chief Minister also? Tenny Joppen (Chandy’s personal assistant) has been arrested,’’ Pinarayi said.

 To Chandy’s remark that the solar panel scam has not caused any loss to the state exchequer, Pinarayi Vijayan posed the counter that whether the ISRO spy case or the Rajan case had caused any loss to the exchequer. He also demanded the government to urgently evacuate schools and colleges in the district of the para-military forces so that classes are not affected.

Stressing that the LDF agitation will be a peaceful one, Pinarayi said that the LDF did not intend, in any way, to disrupt the forthcoming Independence Day celebrations at the Central Stadium. Pinarayi also said that Chandy is refusing to to reply to questions posed by Chief Whip P C George.

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