World
India
A fresh political row has erupted within Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) over the controversy involving Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter, Veena Vijayan, and her now-defunct IT firm, Exalogic Solutions. The rift has exposed cracks between the two major Communist parties in the alliance the CPI(M) and CPI as the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) charge sheet in the case gains legal traction.
On Friday, CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam made headlines by declaring that his party would support the Chief Minister, not his daughter. While acknowledging Veena Vijayan’s right to run a private company, Viswam subtly distanced the CPI from the unfolding legal case. “The CPI stands with Pinarayi Vijayan as the Chief Minister, but not with any individual controversies involving his family,” he said.
However, Viswam’s remarks didn’t go down well with CPI(M) leaders. Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty, a close confidant of Vijayan, rebuked Viswam on Saturday, stating that the CPI leader should have raised his concerns at the LDF forum instead of going public. “Viswam should not worry about Veena. She knows how to face this politically motivated case. The LDF stands united behind the Chief Minister,” Sivankutty asserted.
Tensions between the two parties have been simmering for some time, with the CPI often expressing unease over what it views as CPI(M)’s “big brother attitude” in governance. The divide widened further after Viswam openly criticized the state cabinet’s decision to delay the implementation of the Centre’s PM SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) scheme. Sivankutty countered the CPI leader, saying, “Opposing an infrastructure project just because it’s from the Centre makes Viswam sound more like the Leader of the Opposition.”
Backing the Chief Minister strongly, CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan alleged that the case against Veena Vijayan is part of a larger conspiracy. “There’s a witch-hunt against the Chief Minister by central agencies, sections of the media, and rival political parties. This is no different from the gold smuggling case that fizzled out,” Govindan said on Friday.
Ironically, shortly after Govindan’s press conference, a Kochi court accepted the SFIO charge sheet in the Exalogic-CMRL deal, officially registering a case. The SFIO alleges that Veena’s firm received around ₹2.7 crore in “monthly gratification” from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) in exchange for mining-related favours.
The political storm has intensified, with questions mounting on the Chief Minister’s reaction. When pressed by reporters recently, Pinarayi Vijayan lashed out at the media, saying, “You want my blood, but you won’t get it easily.”
ALSO READ: Murshidabad Violence: Shops Looted, Police Clash With Mobs, Multiple Injuries | Key Developments
