Cong dares govt to scrap Vizhinjam pact

Hassan accuses Chief Minister of double standards

June 14, 2017 08:38 am | Updated 08:38 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram

KPCC president M.M. Hassan has dared Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to cancel the contract with the Adani group for the Vizhinjam seaport project and go in for a fresh bid if the government was convinced there was corruption in the deal.

Raising allegations about corruption and going ahead with the project at the same time amounts to double standards, he said while briefing reporters about the decisions taken at the KPCC political affairs committee here on Tuesday.

“If the government sees corruption in the deal, it can cancel the contract. The letter of award has a provision to do so.” Welcoming the judicial investigation ordered by the government, he said the CAG report on the deal was not based on facts.

He alleged that the LDF government was trying to create a smokescreen to snatch the credit for the prestigious project from the previous UDF regime that had shown the political will to get it off the ground.

On the editorial of the party mouthpiece Veekshanam accusing Kerala Congress(M) leader K.M. Mani of bargaining for power, he said the views expressed in the editorial did not reflect the stand of the Congress.

“The paper has been directed not to publish editorials without the party’s consent,” he added.

The meeting decided to launch a campaign against the new liquor policy announced by the LDF government.

The party would join hands with UDF partners and anti-liquor activists to mobilise public opinion against the policy and the social impact of the proliferation of liquor outlets.

The campaign would take off in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode towards the end of June. The Mahila Congress would simultaneously reach out to women with a separate campaign.

The committee decided to meet again on July 5 to discuss the arrangement to be made for the next Lok Sabha elections.

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