After accusing Enforcement Directorate of sabotage, Kerala government turns suspicion on CAG

After accusing central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate of playing to the tune of political leaders for taking steps against Kerala government's key projects, the CPM government in Kerala is now suspecting the Comptroller and Auditor General of India too.

Certain critical remarks of CAG against Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), an agency of the state government for financing infrastructure projects, is the provocation for the Kerala government, especially Finance Minister Thomas Isaac, to take a stand against CAG.

However, the opposition Congress in Kerala was accusing the Finance Minister of leaking the contents of the CAG report before it was tabled in the state Assembly. The opposition was also planning to file petitions against Isaac in this connection.

The KIIFB draft report allegedly stated that several fundraising acts of the board like issuing Masala bonds, which were even listed in London Stock Exchange, were unconstitutional. Isaac alleged that such remarks in the draft report were part of political ploy of the BJP with Congress's support to attack the Left Front government in Kerala.

However, the opposition Congress alleged that the Finance Minister was trying to be in the defensive in advance and hence he was leaking out remarks in CAG's draft report.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently alleged that the central agencies like ED were trying to sabotage key infrastructure projects of Kerala like the Life Mission that aims at proving homes for all homeless and Kerala Fibre Optic Network that aims at proving high-speed internet to 20 lakh odd economically weak families. ED had sought details regarding these flagship projects as part of the probe against Chief Minister's former principal secretary. This had provoked the Kerala government.