Cong asks CM to withdraw affidavit and entrust Lavalin case with CBI

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 3 (UNI) The Congress in Kerala today said the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front(LDF) had lost all moral rights to continue in office in the wake of a ''false affidavit'' regarding the SNC Lavalin case in the High Court, and asked Chief Minister V S Achutanandan to withdraw the affidavit and to go in for a CBI inquiry into the whole episode.

''The government has tried to mislead the High Court by filing an affidavit contrary to the facts. Mr Achutanandan who had always fought corruption should be bold enough to withdraw the affidavit and pursue a CBI inquiry into the SNC Lavalin issue,'' Pradesh Congress Committee President Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here.

The government had filed a petition in the HC seeking to withdraw the statement made by the then Advocate-General that the United Democratic Front (UDF) Government had decided to entrust the investigation with the CBI. The government's counsel had pleaded that the decision by the UDF was taken in haste and it was done without any valid reason.

Alleging that the government was fearing a CBI inquiry into the issue, Mr Chennithala said that a Vigilance probe would not bring out the truth. ''The HC had even raised suspicion on the state government's stand against a CBI probe on the SNC Lavalin issue. It had asked the government why it was fearing a CBI probe.'' The agreement with the SNC Lavalin of Canada was signed at a time when Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was then an ex-officio member of the Kerala State Electricity Board, Mr Chennithala said and added that the agreement would not have been signed without the knowledge of Mr Kodiyeri.

Alleging that Mr Balakrishnan had even from the very beginning of the case tried to scuttle the inquiry into the case, he said ''the government's decision to stick to a Vigilance probe will not bring out the truth of the worst political scam.'' Even CPI(M) Central Committee member E Balanandan, who headed a committee during the E K Nayanar government to recommend steps to improve the power sector, had questioned the affidavit, he said. The Balanandan Committee had never suggested handing over of the renovation of Pallivasal, Chenkulam and Panniyar hydel stations to SNC-Lavalin of Canada but only recommended replacing of spare parts of the generators. However, in an affidavit, the government said that the SNC Lavalin was given the contract for the renovation on the basis of the recommendation of the Balanandan Committee.

UNI