By P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Yet another attempt by a frustrated opposition to discredit Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Government has failed dismally.
The latest exercise undertaken by the Congress and the BJP relates to a so-called summons by the Enforcement Directorate(ED) to the Chief Minister’s son, Vivek Kiran, for questioning on suspicion of money laundering. The anti-Left media had claimed that the ED had addressed the notice to Cliff House, the Chief Minister’s official residence in Thiruvananthapuram.
A combative Pinarayi told newspersons that adverse newspaper headlines and accusatory discussions on TV channels would not deter him from taking on the detractors bent on damaging his reputation. Pinarayi said that neither Cliff House nor his son had received any such summons from ED.
Striking a personal note the CM said his two children had done him proud. Both have lived their own lives and not given any cause to him or his politics to feel embarrassed about them. “My son shuttles between his work and home. Have you ever seen him in the halls of power? He does not even know the layout of Cliff House and is rarely at home. He has never sought to monetize my office. Can the media say the same about the children of certain political leaders?” he asked.
He ridiculed the regional-language media which has made a habit of publishing patent falsehoods to malign him and his family. The media, he added, had asked the viewers to be ready for another “bomb”, which, however, turned out to be a damp squib.
Pinarayi said he and his family has been facing such smear campaigns throughout his political life. However, these witch-hunts and slanderous campaigns have not affected him one bit. “I watch them unfold with a sense of inner amusement. Truth, honesty and incorruptibility fortify me. My hands are clean, untainted by corruption or nepotism. I have the courage of that conviction,” he averred.
Earlier, the CM baiters ended up with egg on their faces when the Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition by Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan against Pinarayi on the alleged transactions between Exalogic Solutions Limited, the now-defunct company of his daughter Veena, and Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited(CMRL).
Chief Justice of India B. R. Gavai bluntly told senior advocate Guru Krishnakumar, who appeared for Kuzhalnadan that the court is not a platform for fighting political battles.
The Kerala High Court had in March this year mentioned that the plea by Kuzhalnadan was politically motivated.
Krishnakumar’s submission was that the HC had erred in dismissing his client’s petition merely on the ground that cognizance cannot be taken solely on the basis of suspicion.
In a severe rebuke to Kuzhalnadan, the CJI said, “we have consistently said that we do not want the court to be used for political matters.” When Kuzhanadan’s advocate persisted with the argument, the court asked him whether he wanted to be slapped with a fine of Rs 10 lakh?
The latest exercise against the Chief Minister stems from the opposition’s frustration over having failed dismally in previous attempts to ‘fix’ him. The allegations against the CM’s son is set to meet the same fate which overtook such attempts to discredit the CM and his government. (IPA Service)
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