Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's remark that MP John Brittas had "mediated" the signing of the PM SHRI by the Kerala government was justified by the CPI(M) MP on Thursday, who said that his role was to act as a "bridge" in the interests of the state, reported PTI.
As Brittas came under attack from the Congress in Kerala following Pradhan's statement in the Rajya Sabha a day earlier, the CPI(M) also came to his defence, stating that he had acted in accordance with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's request to all MPs from Kerala to work together to secure central funds owed to various departments of the state government.
"John Brittas showed the initiative to implement that. I appreciate it," state Education Minister V Sivankutty said at a press conference here.
Defending his actions, Brittas said that it was his job to act as a "bridge" in the interests of Kerala and not become a "hurdle".
Brittas, defending his stand, told reporters in Delhi that he will continuously meet central ministers and hold discussions to ensure Kerala gets the funds it is entitled to.
He too contended that Venugopal was the one who ensured that Congress-ruled states implemented the PM SHRI scheme and got crores of central funds.
"I held discussions for disbursal of funds under SSK that were withheld by the Centre and not on PM SHRI," Brittas said.
The Congress, on the other hand, contended that Brittas' actions have "exposed" the BJP-CPI(M) relationship.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph said that Brittas was not the "bridge" between the BJP and the CPI(M), but a "power broker".