Congress divided over government's stand favouring Pinarayi Vijayan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Differences within the Congress are deepening over the state government's decision to defend Pinarayi Vijayan in the CMRL-Exalogic case before the court. Former KPCC president and MP K. Sudhakaran has joined Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Jinto John in criticising the government's stand. Sudhakaran said Mathew Kuzhalnadan should not be isolated and that the party would stand by him.

At a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting, Mathew Kuzhalnadan had strongly criticised the government's position, saying Pinarayi Vijayan should not be given the justice that was denied to former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala strongly opposed his remarks, making it clear that they had no intention of settling political scores. Besides Jinto John, who had also criticised the government's stand, MLA C. R. Mahesh made an indirect attack on Saturday. He shared a dialogue by the character Anjooran in the Malayalam film Godfather - "Should we forget everything that happened in the past?" - in an apparent reference to the controversy.

Most senior Congress leaders, however, support the positions taken by the Chief Minister and the Home Minister. They believe that taking the side of the ED will not benefit the party politically. MLA K. P. Noushad Ali said the government had stood by its declared position that it did not trust the ED, adding that the question of whether the government had helped Pinarayi Vijayan was therefore irrelevant.

Meanwhile, Congress workers have taken to social media to express their anger, sharing photographs of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and reiterating that Pinarayi Vijayan should not be given the justice denied to Chandy. Amid the controversy, Oommen Chandy's daughter, Maria Oommen, shared an old statement by her father on Facebook in which he had said that he was not someone who sought revenge. There are indications that the family is unhappy with Oommen Chandy's name being dragged into the current controversy.