Lavalin case: Kerala CM hits out at Congress


Team Udayavani, Aug 24, 2017, 4:41 PM IST

Thiruvananthapuram :  A day after the high court exonerated him in the SNC Lavalin graft case, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today alleged that the CBI had filed the case against him “under pressure from the Congress party to hunt the CPI(M) and tarnish its image”.

“The effort was to propagate that I am a corrupt person and hunt the CPI(M) through me,” he told the Assembly while replying to a notice for an adjournment motion moved by the opposition, the Congress-led UDF, in connection with the appointment of members in the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Explaining the chronology of events related to the case, Vijayan said a vigilance probe ordered by the then UDF government in the state had found nothing incriminating to include his name in the case. However, he added that the UDF government still recommended a CBI probe into the case, a few days before the polls were declared in 2006. Initially, the CBI had also arrived at the same conclusion as that of the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Vijayan said.

But, as the Left parties withdrew support to the then Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, the chief minister claimed that he was named as an accused in the case “as per the desire of the Congress”.
“I was made an accused in the case because of the political vendetta of the Congress as the Left parties had withdrawn their support to the then UPA government,” he said. However, Vijayan added that he never had any apprehension about the final outcome of the case.

“I had no apprehension. Now, the truth has won,” he said. The chief minister said the verdict had given him more energy to implement welfare measures and development works in the state. Yesterday, the Kerala High Court upheld the verdict of the CBI court, Thiruvananthapuram, discharging the chief minister from the case and observed that the “CBI had wrongly picked Pinarayi Vijayan without any material in the case”.

The case relates to the awarding of a contract to Canadian company SNC Lavalin for the renovation of three hydel projects — Sengulam, Pallivasal and Panniyar — when Vijayan was the power minister in the then E K Nayanar cabinet between 1996 and 1998.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

BCCI vs PCB spar on CT venue as Naqvi denies receiving any official note from Indian board

After Yogi’s ‘batenge, katenge’ slogan, PM pitches for unity with ‘Ek hai, toh safe hai’ message

“Coming soon.. 2025”: KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty announce first pregnancy

Mangaluru: Unauthorized bus stops at signals fuel traffic woes and safety concerns

SC notice to Karnataka, DK Shivakumar on CBI plea against withdrawal of consent by state govt

Will remain active in politics till my last breath: JD(S) patriarch & ex-PM Deve Gowda

BJP calls Congress govt ‘laughing stock’ as ‘samosa politics’ heats up in Himachal

Related Articles More

UP women’s body proposes men shouldn’t tailor women’s clothes or cut their hair

After Yogi’s ‘batenge, katenge’ slogan, PM pitches for unity with ‘Ek hai, toh safe hai’ message

Bank fraud: ED seizes jewellery, cash worth over Rs 1 cr in raids against Bhopal-based company, directors

No greater feeling than serving those in need: Outgoing CJI D Y Chandrachud

CJI Chandrachud: A legacy of landmark verdicts that shaped society and some controversy too

MUST WATCH

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali

Ganapathi Co-operative Society Ltd

Udayavani Chinnara Banna 2024

Annapoorna Aahar | Food Places In Mysore


Latest Additions

BCCI vs PCB spar on CT venue as Naqvi denies receiving any official note from Indian board

Use Carnatic music to promote Kannada language: Nirmala Sitharaman

Udupi: Car collides with bike; Rider injured

UP women’s body proposes men shouldn’t tailor women’s clothes or cut their hair

NSE, BSE to be closed on Nov 20 for Maharashtra assembly polls

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.