Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader Jinto John on Friday criticised the United Democratic Front government for deciding to conduct a preliminary inquiry instead of registering a first information report against Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan and his family in the alleged CMRL bribery case.
John questioned what he described as an apparent shift in the Congress leadership's position regarding corruption allegations and its handling of political opponents. The Kerala High Court recently dismissed petitions filed by Vijayan, his daughter Veena T, and her husband P A Mohamed Riyas, challenging an order that directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register an FIR based on an Enforcement Directorate report.
Before that judicial order was issued, the state government had opted for a preliminary inquiry instead of filing an FIR. The Enforcement Directorate sought the immediate registration of a case based on evidence gathered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, alleging that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited made fraudulent payments exceeding Rs 3 crore to Veena's defunct firm, Exalogic Solutions, for IT consultancy services.
Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan also challenged the government's stance during a press conference, noting that judicial observations indicated a preliminary inquiry was unnecessary given the Enforcement Directorate's findings. John later drew comparisons on social media to how the previous Left Democratic Front administration handled past controversies, including recommendations for central probes against former leaders despite cleared findings.
John cautioned that while avoiding rushed political vendettas was a positive approach, excessive hesitation could lead the public to suspect that the administration was shielding the alleged beneficiaries from accountability. He urged the government to pursue standard legal proceedings without undermining the efforts of party workers who campaigned against previous corruption scandals.