MADURAI: The CPM has found itself on the defensive after prosecution sanction against CM’s daughter Veena T in the CMRL case. Even as the Kerala CPM attempted to put up a united face of resistance, differences within the leadership have now spilled out in the open.
While a slew of Kerala leaders along with Politburo coordinator Prakash Karat chose to term it a politically motivated case, which will be fought legally and politically, West Bengal secretary Mohammed Salim however opined that the party has nothing to do with the matter.
The differences in opinion within the central leadership about the SFIO case and the confusion in this regard came out after Mohammed Salim made it clear that the individuals concerned would opt for legal recourse. Responding to questions at the media briefing on the sidelines of the party Congress, Salim said central agencies are being utilized against the chief minister’s office, his family and the CM himself.
Responding to media queries, Salim said, “It has nothing to do with the party. Those who are now being investigated would take the legal recourse. They are capable of handling it,” he said. To repeated questions on whether legal recourse would be taken by the party or the individual concerned, Salim said, “The party concerned will fight the case.” In an apparent indication that the party would not get involved in the matter, Salim said, “all those – party people or non-party people – who are being investigated, they have to take legal recourse.”
Earlier in the day, the CPM leadership had rallied behind Pinarayi, and stated in unison that it was a politically-motivated case. “If they think they can target the chief minister by targetting his family members, we are prepared to face it. I’m sure it will be fought politically and legally,” said Prakash Karat.
The Centre's move, at a time when the party Congress is in progress, is being viewed as a deliberate action to corner the ruling Left. Sensing a political conspiracy, a slew of leaders came out questioning the move and its timing.
Senior Politburo member MA Baby raised suspicions that a deliberate conspiracy behind the move is to be suspected. He pointed out that the SFIO action came, when Kerala and Tamil Nadu chief ministers were attending a session against the Union government.
State secretary MV Govindan said there’s a clear political agenda behind the move. “Neither the government nor the chief minister has gone out of the way to help in the contract between two companies. Three vigilance courts have made it clear that there’s no evidence to link the CM with the matter. Later the High Court too rejected all such accusations in this regard,” Govindan pointed out.
Senior leaders including ministers KN Balagopal, P Rajeeve and central committee members KK Shailaja and AK Balan too came out in defence of the CM and his daughter. They pointed out that the SFIO move comes, hardly a week after the High Court turned down a demand for a vigilance investigation into the matter.
Even as the Kerala party rallied behind the CM, concerns still abound within the party. The case against the CM's daughter has hogged headlines at a time when the party Congress has been highlighting the Kerala model as an alternative.
