CPI(M)'s decision to keep off from I.N.D.I.A coordination committee not due to pressure, says Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) senior leader Pinarayi Vijayan said that CPI(M)'s decision to keep off from the coordination committee of I.N.D.I.A alliance was not due to pressure from Kerala CPI(M).

Vijayan told reporters that the CPI(M) would be part of a forum of opposition parties to fight against the BJP. "But CPI(M) doesn't want to be part of an organisational structure of the opposition parties. There was no pressure of the Kerala unit of the party on the matter.

There were reports that CPI(M)'s decision to keep off from the coordination committee of I.N.D.I.A alliance was due to the CPI(M) Kerala leadership's pressure as the main electoral fight in Kerala is between CPI(M) and Congress and Kerala is the only state where the party is now in power. The CPI(M) state leadership is also not in favour of  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad in the Lok Sabha election.

During a press conference held on Tuesday after a gap of around seven months, Vijayan alleged that a section of the media was trying to tarnish his image and dragging his family into controversies.

He was responding to questions regarding allegations of his IT entrepreneur daughter's business deals with a controversial mining firm in Kerala. 

"You have been trying to tarnish my image for quite some time. Now you are dragging my family into controversies. You go ahead with that. My image can't be tarnished with such efforts," he said.

Vijayan reiterated the allegation that it was due to political reasons that the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board mentioned his name in a report regarding his daughter's business deal. He also said that he did not accept any funds from the controversial mining firm.

Vijayan said that he did not deliberately avoid press conferences over the last seven months. He had some health issues in between, he said.