CPM satisfied with CM’s actions

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM state secretariat that met here on Friday discussed the gold-smuggling case through diplomatic channel case in detail and concluded that the corrective measures initiated by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to clear the mess in his office are satisfactory. “What Vijayan has done is a model for others,” said CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan after the meeting.
During the debate, a few senior leaders pointed out the centralisation of power in the CMO at principal secretary M Sivasankar and suggested more involvement from the chief minister to rein in wrong officials, according to sources.
Vijayan explained the course of events and the steps taken by the government, including the suggestion of government to hand over the probe to central agencies. The leaders accepted the explanation and resolved total support to the CM and the government.
Balakrishnan said when aberration on the part of Sivasankar was noticed by the CM, he was kept out of the office. “Later, when the report of chief secretary-led probe panel was submitted, he was suspended immediately. It is clear that the government and the CM don’t want to protect anyone. Still, the opposition is creating a fuzz out of the issue. Now, the high court has to intervene to stop the farce in the name of protest,” Kodiyeri said.
He also questioned parallels drawn between solar scam and smuggling scam. “In the solar case, the victim levelled serious allegations directly against the then CM Oommen Chandy and ministers. One businessman revealed that he paid the money as directed by the CM. Did anything like that happen now?” asked Kodiyeri. He welcomed the notice for no-confidence motion moved by the UDF against government and said the resolution would provide a chance to ascertain government’s innocence in the issue. The CPM also welcomed the NIA probe in the case and hoped that the probe will bring out all truths.
The CPM state secretariat also decided to launch a mass movement to create awareness about Covid-19 spread.