Thaindian News

New Delhi/Kochi, Sep 25 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi Friday criticised Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan for his demand to examine Defence Minister A.K. Antony in the SNC Lavalin corruption case.
“The people of Kerala know Antony very well,” Ravi told reporters when asked about the demand by Vijayan’s counsel before a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court that Antony be examined in the SNC Lavalin scam.

Vijayan Thursday failed to appear before the special court in Kochi, and said he was not in good health.

His counsel M.K. Damodaran filed a special petition demanding that Antony should be examined in the case as he was chief minister in 1995 — the year the consultancy agreement with Canadian company SNC Lavalin for three hydro-power projects was inked.

Vijayan was power minister when the Left Front government took office later and awarded the power plant renovation contract to Lavalin. Vijayan was accused of bungling in awarding this contract for the projects.

“It is a tactic (by Vijayan) to delay the case proceedings (against him),” Vayalar Ravi said.

Referring to Vijayan’s criticism of the media and the party’s charge against journalist-turned politician Sebastian Paul, a former CPI-M member of the Lok Sabha, Ravi said this was the best example of the Marxist party’s “Stalinist nature.”

“The Marxist party’s Stalinist nature is evident in the state. It is slowly shifting to Stalinism,” Ravi said.

Sebastian Paul told reporters in Kochi that Vijayan was behaving like late prime minister Indira Gandhi, who would brook no criticism.

“Indira Gandhi took a stern stand against the media and today Vijayan is doing the same. This is not good either for the society or even the party. The party and its leaders should behave in a more restrained manner and should not be averse to criticism,” Paul told reporters here.

Paul was the CPI M Lok Sabha member from the Ernakulam seat for six years from 2003 and he did not get a renomination in the 2009 polls.

“It should not be misread that I am opening up because I was denied a ticket. It was the Ernakulam CPI-M district secretary who called me and said that I will not be renominated. I never asked why nor did he say. I am now speaking out because I felt it is now the right time,” said Paul.

He said Vijayan was now under the influeence of a few senior journalists and also named them.

“The leaders of the party do not analyse situations, but are driven by the advice of a few. This does not augur well for the party and for them also,” said Paul.

While Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan did not respond to this, veteran CPI-M leader and former finance minister T.Sivadasa Menon denied that Vijayan was in the clutches of a few.