Cliff House 'link' resurfaces, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan calls charges defamatory

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Life Mission controversy rocked the assembly again on Tuesday, with the opposition raising allegations against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan by reading out from a remand report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against CM's former principal secretary M Sivasankar and Vijayan fuming at it.
The remand report was read out by Mathew Kuzhalnadan of the Congress during discussion on an adjournment notice moved by him on the case. The ED is investigating the alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act in Life Mission, a flagship housing project of the government.

Law and industries minister P Rajeeve and local self-government minister M B Rajesh cited laws and the Congress party's national policy against using the ED to silence political opponents but opposition leader V D Satheesan raised counter arguments.
Seeking leave for adjournment motion on the ongoing probe against Life Mission, Kuzhalnadan asked the chief minister whether he can deny a statement in the remand report that he held a meeting with the UAE consular general, Sivasankar and Swapna Suresh at the Cliff House. He also said the chief minister should approach the court if he was denying it.
Responding to the charge, the chief minister said no such meeting had occurred. He asked if Kuzhalnadan was the ED's lawyer in the assembly.
He also said he did not need Kuzhalnadan’s support or advice to approach the court and he had his own ways. Rajeeve demanded that the references from the remand report should be expunged from the assembly records as no matter sub-judice in any court can be discussed or should be part of assembly records.
Rajesh mocked the opposition asking them whether they have given up on Mahatma Gandhi and have begun worshipping the ED. He also advised the opposition to read through the Congress plenary conference resolution, especially the portion on ED, where it has been dubbed as a puppet agency to silence the opposition parties and leaders.
In a counter-attack, referring to the assembly rules and procedures, Satheesan said the legal position of sub judice cited by the law minister is incorrect as a criminal case is said to be under trial only from the time of submitting the chargesheet till the final disposal. He also quoted the chief minister’s letter to the Prime Minister when the gold smuggling case surfaced, requesting for a coordinated and joint probe by all central agencies.
The chief minister, however, replied that he invited central agencies to probe the gold smuggling case as they were only empowered to probe it. He said the statements made by Kuzhalnadan during discussion on the adjournment motion were baseless, false and defamatory and such remarks are prohibited under the House rules.
Stating that they were also viewing the ED moves with suspicion, Satheesan said the opposition was also dependent on the agency probe because the mandate to probe the charges is with it. He said it was clear that the chief minister’s office had a role in the Life Mission bribery case as his former principal secretary had been arrested and the owner of Unitac Builders admitting that he had paid bribe for the contract in Wadakkancherry project of the Life Mission. The opposition later staged a walkout after the speaker refused to admit the motion on the basis of the local self-government minister's reply.