THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dismissing the allegations of an unholy nexus with Swapna Suresh, an accused in the gold smuggling case, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan said he was shocked to know about her criminal background.
He was speaking at a press meet on Thursday after BJP state president K Surendran and later Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala raised serious allegations against him ranging from being complicit in the gold smuggling to extravagance in running the legislative assembly.
The Speaker said he was contemplating legal action against Surendran for dragging his name into the gold smuggling case. His office issued a statement dismissing the allegations raised by Surendran on Wednesday. But he decided to appear in person hours after Chennithala made a fresh attack.
Sreeramakrishnan reiterated his innocence and dismissed the allegations as false. “As an official of the UAE consulate, Swapna Suresh was a familiar face and I have interacted with her on multiple occasions. But I was not familiar with her criminal background,” said Sreeramakrishnan. “I have not given her any favour or travelled together on foreign trips. We never met during foreign trips.”
The Speaker defended his foreign trips, which became a subject of controversy as it was linked with the gold smuggling, saying they were made at the invitation of Gulf-based Malayali organisations. “Besides, my sister and her family stay in the Gulf. My mother also visits there occasionally and now my daughter is doing her internships,” he said. Sreeramakrishnan refused to criticise the investigation agency involved in the gold smuggling case and said he was ready to disclose any information he had to the agency as an ordinary citizen.
Terming Chennithala’s allegations as unfortunate and not based on facts, he said he had strived to make the state legislature the best in the country. “I am not saying that the Speaker or assembly are holy cows that should not be criticised. But everyone should think if it was proper to attack a constitutional body based on speculation,” he said.
Sreeramakrishnan said the running of the assembly from parliamentary procedures to construction activities and events was held in consultation with the house committees which included members from opposition parties. The Speaker said the opposition members were still welcome to raise questions to clear their doubts.
He said the renovation of Sankaranarayanan Thampi hall in the legislative complex was done for holding the second edition of Loka Kerala Sabha at an actual cost of Rs 9.17 crore. The estimate for renovation was Rs 16.65 crore. Later, the amount was scaled down below Rs 10 crore after technical scrutiny.
“We spent money to create a permanent asset that can be used to conduct an event that befits the standards expected of Loka Kerala Sabha. We can also let others use the hall,” he said. He defended the contract given to Uralungal Labor Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS), saying it was an empanelled organisation with an unparalleled track record in returning excess money from projects upon completion. He also defended the projects he initiated such as e-vidhan Sabha (paperless assembly), Sabha TV, web magazine, a portal to suggest amendments and dance of democracy programmes.