I was punished for telling truth, says VS

Amid a factional fight within the CPM in the state, veteran leader V S Achuthanandan has alleged that party state president Pinarayi Vijayan was involved in the Lavalin scandal.

“I said in the politburo that corruption was involved in the Lavalin contract and I was expelled. I had been a politburo member for 18 years. But this did not deter me from fighting corruption and I always stand by the truth,” he said.

The CAG had pointed out that the state exchequer had incurred a loss of around Rs 400 crore from the contract awarded to Canadian firm Lavalin to renovate three hydel projects of the KSEB, during Vijayan’s tenure as the state power minister.

He ridiculed the findings of a commission appointed by the party and claimed to have met the Union home minister and the high court and supreme court judges to indict Vijayan in the case. He claimed that the panel ignored him. He further alleged that three of his personal assistants were expelled from the party “to clip my wings.”