CPM has been moving politically, not legally

By O J George

Kottayam: Now the CPM cannot shy away from the allegations of irregularities with regard to SNC Lavalin deal.

The CBI has filed charge-sheet against CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and 8 others in the special court in Kochi.

Mathew Roy and Rajagopal have been excluded from the array of the accused.Pinarayi Vijayan is the seventh accused in the case.

The-then KSEB chairman Gopalakrishnan has also not figured in the list of accused.

The agreement for renovation of three power houses and the consequent deals have resulted in the case.It is alleged that the state lost a huge amount by way of the deal.

Now that the charge-sheet has been filed in court, it seems the party cannot challenge the decision of the Governor easily.

Perhaps the party could have done so earlier and blocked the filing of the charge-sheet.

But where was a compendious decision of the party with regard to the Lavalin issue and the consequent sanction by the Governor?

Party general secretary Prakash Karat was not available with any specific directive. For a few days he did not react at all. So far he has not reacted clearly, except to say that the politburo has already issued a statement.

The statement was nothing specific. The Governor’s action was unfortunate, that was all. Governor’s action was not challenged.

The Chief Minister has made it clear that there is nothing unusual about the Governor issuing sanction disregarding the advice of the Cabinet.

Whatever be the sound and fury created by other members of the party, the official line that should be reckoned is the path taken by the Chief Minister.

What is the aim of other members of the Cabinet who have taken a stance questioning the action of the Governor?

Suppose the Chief Minister also challenged the action of the Governor. Could there be locus standi for V S Achuthanandan to continue as Chief Minister by challenging the Governor?

The CPM itself is dilly-dallying on the issue. Otherwise it could have organized a full sitting of the politburo and taken a clear line.

Now Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechuri and S Ramachandran Pillai are trying to seek the advice of nonagenarian leader Jyoti Basu.

The party is going ahead with business as usual. The politburo is meeting on June 19. Central Committee meeting will also follow. Perhaps the outcome would be the same as that taken earlier. The issue would be dealt with politically and legally.

Meanwhile, the case would go on. Pinarayi Vijayan would continue as state secretary of the party. It is yet to be known whether V S Achuthanandan’s demand for removal of Pinarayi from party post would be considered affirmatively.

There is demand for removal of Achuthanandan from the post of Chief Minister as well.

There would be mutual annihilation or mutual survival. Already posters have appeared against Achuthanandan in Thiruvananthapuram and against Pinarayi Vijayan in Delhi.

RSP Minister N K Premachandran has pointed out that his party has clear ideas about Lavalin and other issues. The party will move at the appropriate time.

CPI appears to be against removal of the Chief Minister. No doubt the LDF partners are not amused by the developments which have an overbearing effect on the political landscape.

In the circumstances, whatever good works done by the government are eclipsed by controversies.

No government would be successful unless the party, which formed it, it fully supports the entity.