Pinarayi summoned in Lavalin case, probe against Cong leader

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Disentangling himself from problems within and outside the party looked more remote for CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan as he and eight others were on Tuesday issued summons by the CBI special court in the SNC Lavalin corruption case.

Mr Vijayan, the first CPM politburo member to face prosecution in a corruption case, will have to appear before the court on September 24. Mr Vijayan has stoutly denied the allegations and his party is of the view that the case is politically motivated.

A political consolation of sorts came by for the embattled CPM camp when the court also ordered a reinvestigation into the role of Congress leader and former power minister G Karthikeyan in the Lavalin case. The court ordered further investigation into the role of Mr Karthikeyan and KSEB member R Gopalakrishnan who were excluded when the charge sheet was filed.

The latest setback for Mr Vijayan comes at a time when the official faction in the party backing him is seen to be in confrontation with the faction supporting chief minister V S Achuthanandan. The intra-party rivalry has apparently been fuelled in recent weeks by the contrasting stances adopted by the two sides in the Lavalin case.

While CPM leaders identified with the Vijayan camp have strongly criticized governor R S Gavai���s decision to allow his trial, the chief minister has indirectly endorsed the governor���s decision.

At the political level, the Lavalin case is expected to lead to significant consternation in the CPM and observers here feel that the second-rung leaders in the party would now be fancying their chances should there be a change of guard at the party secretary level and the cabinet level.

Both Mr Vijayan and Mr Achuthanandan have managed so far to cling on to their respective posts, with enough ammunition to use against each other. It is also thought that the CPM���s troubles in West Bengal would prevent the national leadership from undertaking any major organizational reshuffle in Kerala that may prove risky.

The SNC Lavalin case pertains to a Rs 374-crore contract given to the Canadian company for renovation work on three hydro-electric projects in the state. It was later determined that the work had not improved the efficiency of the projects. The deal with SNC Lavalin was initiated when Mr Karthikeyan was power minister and finalized during Mr Vijayan���s term as power minister.