Congress divided over CMRL-Exalogic case as Kuzhalnadan questions Satheesan’s stand

Thiruvanathapuram: Sharp differences have emerged within the Congress in Kerala over the government’s cautious approach in the CMRL-Exalogic case, with Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan facing open dissent from party MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan over the decision not to immediately register a case against former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The disagreement came to the fore at a Congress Legislature Party meeting, where Kuzhalnadan questioned why Vijayan should be granted the justice that the previous LDF government had denied former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. His remarks exposed a clear divide between leaders demanding immediate legal action and the party leadership, which favours a more measured approach.

Satheesan reportedly told the meeting that Kuzhalnadan’s position reflected youthful enthusiasm and argued that rushing to file a case would not be politically wise. The Chief Minister said the matter needed to be handled with legal and political prudence rather than on the basis of an Enforcement Directorate communication.

The two leaders engaged in a prolonged argument during the meeting. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan and Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph backed the Chief Minister’s stand.

The confrontation followed Kuzhalnadan’s public criticism of the government’s position at a press conference, where he said it should revise its stand in the light of the High Court Division Bench’s decision and questioned the legal advice it had received.

Kuzhalnadan said he had pursued the Exalogic case largely on his own and had faced harassment, including a Vigilance investigation, for doing so. He also said he had written to the Home Minister opposing the government’s approach.

Chennithala countered that the issue had been discussed among senior leaders. He said he was not aware that Kuzhalnadan was pursuing the case and would have advised against it had he been consulted.

The dispute has raised questions over the Congress’s approach to a case that it made a major campaign issue ahead of the April Assembly elections. The United Democratic Front had repeatedly targeted the previous government over the CMRL-Exalogic allegations before coming to power.

The leadership’s cautious stance has fuelled discontent among sections of the party, with critics questioning whether the Congress is backing away from one of its principal allegations against the previous regime.

The issue is likely to resurface, with Vijayan approaching the Supreme Court against the High Court directive.

(Inputs from IANS)