People's Democracy

KERALA

LDF to intensify stir

Indefinite Secretariat Picketing from Aug 12

N S Sajith

AS the day and night sit-in gains massive support, the Left Democratic Front has decided to intensify the struggle demanding the resignation of chief minister Oommen Chandy and setting up  of an impartial judicial probe into the multi-crore solar scam. LDF convener Vaikom Vishwan announced that day and night sit-in at secretariat and district collectorates will culminate on August 4 and indefinite secretariat picketing will begin on August 12. The mode of struggle will be novel and unseen in the history of Kerala, he said in a press conference at AKG centre, in Thiruvananthapuram on July 31.

The LDF volunteers will reach at the premises of secretariat on August 12th morning in large numbers. Volunteers from various parts of the state will add to the people already gathered. The functioning of secretariat will be stalled. As part of the preparations, district level campaign jathas will be organise from August 4. There will be no jathas on August 8th and 9th due to Eid-ul-Fitr. LDF district committees will meet soon to finalise the preparations for the jathas.

The LDF will form a massive organising committee in Thiruvananthapuram district to manage the indefinite picketing. The ongoing day and night struggle in the district centers and capital is gaining huge support of people from all walks of life. The new struggle will also receive such support from the people, Vaikom Vishwan said.

CPI(M) Kerala state secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that the  written complaint by an accused in the Solar Panel Scam, which was handed over to additional chief judicial magistrate, Ernakulam by the superintendent of the women's jail on July 31 has been manipulated. Addressing the media at Thiruvananthapuram, Pinarayi alleged that this was done with the knowledge of chief minister Oommen Chandy. This has underscored the necessity for a judicial enquiry, he added.

The magistrate before whom Saritha Nair was produced earlier on July 20 was unwilling to record her statement. Vijayan urged higher judicial bodies to take cognizance of this matter. Only a day earlier, the chief minister had predicted that good news would come. This prediction was a clear hint about the manipulation of the statement.

Earlier, Saritha had sought an opportunity to record her secret confession before the magistrate under the section of 164 CrPC. However, when she appeared before the magistrate he did not record her confession. The court later asked her to give a written complaint. After this incident, police took Saritha from the prison at Pathanamthitta where she was lodged, to Thiruvananthapuram. During transit the police had managed to influence her. Both appeasement and threats were used. Saritha’s mother had also visited her in jail.

Saritha’s counsel’s statement on the names contained in her statement becomes more significant in this context. Her counsel, Feni Balakrishnan, also warned that it would be a big shock if the names are made public. No Congress party leader has come forward opposing this statement.

Some leaders including central ministers have come out from hiding, which confirms that a manipulation has taken place, which reduced the pages of original complaint to 4 from 22, Pinarayi said.