Ramesh Chennithala _file
"Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday alleged that the State Vigilance Department has been castrated. Chennithala said as such he has no option but to approach the legal system to expose corruptions by the ruling Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government.
Chennithala was interacting with the media after taking part in the Independence Day celebrations held at the state Congress party headquarters.
"We had given a detailed account of the massive corruption that took place in the sand mining at Pamba (at the foot hills of the famed Sabarimala temple) to the Chief Minister. But nothing has happened and now we have realised that the state government doesn't want to order a probe by the Vigilance Department.
"The Vigilance department has been castrated by Vijayan. Hence, I have no other option but to approach the judiciary and it will be done," said Chennithala.
The Congress-led Opposition has been up in arms ever since a state public sector unit Kerala Clays and Ceramics was given the contract to excavate the sand. But the sand that was moved was allegedly given to a private player.
However, Vijayan has claimed that there was no corruption involved and the decision was taken by the district authorities under the guidelines stipulated by the State Disaster Management Authority.
Incidentally, before the 2016 Assembly polls the Left Democratic Front and its leaders including former State Home Minister and CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had promised to launch a new concept naming 'Vigilant Vigilance' if they shot to power.
After being sworn-in, one of the first decisions of Vijayan was to appoint senior police official Jacob Thomas as the vigilance director. Around a year later their relation soured, resulting in the suspension of the Vigilant director in December 2017.
After a long legal battle Thomas was reinstated in August last year as the managing director of one of the state PSUs from where he was retired recently.