VS committed to CBI probe in lotteries scam, PB to discuss its repercussions

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM state secretariat meeting on Sunday discussed the issue of Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan writing a letter to the Centre, first to the Home Minister and then to the Prime Minister, seeking a CBI inquiry into the lotteries scam allegedly involving Rs 80,000 crore over a period of about five years.

It has been widely reported that Finance Minister Dr Thomas Isaac was against the issue being referred to for a CBI investigation. There was protest against the fact that the corruption involved during the previous UDF regime was not referred to.

Anyway, the party secretariat meeting which was attended by General Secretary Prakash Karat was told by him that the issue would be discussed at the next politburo meeting to be held on January 12. So for the time being the party state secretariat meeting was spared the responsibility of arriving at a decision.

Certainly there was vertical cleavage between the two factions in the party in the state regarding the outside lotteries muddle.

From the single-handed decision taken by Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan to get a CBI investigation into the matter, it was clear that he was determined to pursue the issue, come what may.

He had withstood his demotion from the politburo to the central committee previously Now political analysts are keenly watching the developments to see whether there would be a further demotion even as the state is going in for Assembly elections along with West Bengal and three other states during April-May 2011.