Pinarayi exonerates Madani, wife

Kerala
CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, architect of the LDF poll alignment
with Islamist Abdul Nasser Madani’s PDP, said on Friday that the police
had no proofs of any connections of Madani or his wife Sufiya with
terror outfits.

Pinarayi’s statement came within 48 hours of
Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan’s revelation to newsmen that Madani and
his wife were still under the shadow of suspicion and that
investigations were needed to establish his guilt or innocence.

“I
know that the police do not have enough proof to arrest the people you
talk about (Madani and wife),” Vijayan said, adding that the PDP
chairman had been working as a secularist since his release from the
Coimbatore prison in August last.

However, Pinarayi did not show
much enthusiasm in defending Madani, in contrast to his earlier
position. He said Madani looked a changed man after his prison days and
the what the CPI(M) did was merely to accept the support the PDP
extended.

Observers said that the change in the stand of
Pinarayi was the result of the realisation that his efforts to form a
solid political relationship between his party and Madani’s PDP did not
have the support of any of the LDF constituents and that even his own
party was not fully behind him though general Prakash Karat had not
opposed the adjustment.

They also pointed out that Pinarayi was
trying to exonerate Madani and his wife as Home Minister Kodiyeri
Balakrishnan, a PB member, would not be able to justify them anymore as
the issue of PDP-CPI(M) relation had already become an issue in the
national level.

Kodiyeri, a supporter of Pinarayi in the group
war within the CPI(M), had said last week that there would be no probe
against Madani as all the allegations against him were old. However,
with the Chief Minister taking an open and firm stand that the probe
against Madani would go on had made Kodiyeri helpless in defending
Madani anymore.

To a question on the letter reportedly written
by Achuthanandan to the central leadership opposing the electoral pact
with the PDP, Vijayan answered that the party centre had not received
any such letter. “I know that such a letter had not been received at
the party centre. If you have any doubt you can ask VS,” he said.

There
were reports that Achuthanandan had written to the central leadership
of the party saying that the poll pact with Madani at this juncture
would be detrimental to the interests of the CPI(M). The letter had
also reportedly said that such a relationship would be
counterproductive in the Lok Sabha elections.

Asked about the
reports that the Home Minister had shared a dais with an accused in a
blasts case, PInarayi said he had no information about this. Pinarayi
reacted coldly to questions on the SNC Lavalin scandal, saying that
issue had already been gone out of focus.

Meanwhile, Opposition
leader Oommen Chandy alleged in Thiruvananthapuram that the position of
the Home Minister that there would be no probe against Madani was part
of a secret agenda. This position generated a suspicion that it was
prejudicial with the intention of saving the culprits, he said.

Chandy said that the refusal to examine the several allegations coming up against Madani was creating suspicions.

“The
CPI(M) leadership’s position that there is no need for the alleged
terror links of Madani is also dubious,” Chandy said. “The CPI(M)
should answer such doubts,” he added.

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