The political controversy surrounding the Life Mission-UAE Red Crescent deal to provide housing for the poor continued to simmer on Sunday with Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala daring the government to release the details of the contract.
Mr. Chennithala demanded a CBI inquiry into the receipt of ₹20 crore as aid from the UAE Red Crescent for the construction of 140 houses for landless and homeless families under the Life Mission scheme in Thrissur.
He hinged the demand on the ‘disclosure’ made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s media adviser John Brittas last week that a private builder had paid ₹4.5 crore as kickback to get the contract. Mr. Brittas had alleged the builder had given the bribe to an accused in the UAE consulate-linked gold smuggling case.
ED seeks clarification
The government’s ambitious project to provide housing to needy families had come under a cloud after Swapna Suresh, the second accused in the gold smuggling case, had stated in court recently that the ₹1 crore found by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in her bank locker was her percentage for channelling the foreign aid to the private builder contracted to execute the project.
Last week, the ED, possibly prompted by Swapna’s statement, had written to Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta seeking ‘some details and clarifications’ regarding the deal.
The State government has maintained that the international charity had channelled the aid to Life Mission via the UAE consulate here. The consulate had subcontracted the work to a builder of its choice. The government had no say in the award of the contract. The government had also sought the sanction of the Centre for the deal.
‘A front to get kickbacks’
BJP State president K. Surendran alleged on Saturday that gold smugglers and corrupt bureaucrats, who had a free rein in the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had used Life Mission, among other government schemes, as a front to earn kickbacks.
He said the CMO had not sought the sanction of the Centre ahead of receiving foreign aid. Mr. Surendran was on a one-day sit-in fast at the party headquarters here seeking the resignation of Mr Vijayan on the charge of harbouring anti-nationals.