Kerala Opposition leader Satheesan to cooperate with vigilance probe, taunts CM Vijayan with ‘scared’ remark

“When the chief minister calls from America, please tell him that Kerala’s Opposition leader got scared on hearing the news of the vigilance probe,” he taunted Vijayan.

The vigilance probe was ordered based on a complaint by Jaison Panikulangara, a Chalakkudy, Thrissur, resident, who sought an investigation into the alleged FCRA violations and Satheesan’s foreign trips seeking support for a project in his constituency.

In 2018, Satheesan appealed to the Malayali diaspora to contribute to Punarjani, a project launched to construct houses to those who had lost their residences in the savage floods in his constituency, Paravur.

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High court rejected the case

“Before leaving for the US, the chief minister ordered a vigilance probe against me. I am not opposing the probe because in 2020 when the issue was raised in the Assembly, I dared the government to initiate a vigilance probe,” Satheesan told reporters.

“So, it is not fair on my part to say that the order to probe the issue is wrong,” he said.

Stating that he would cooperate with any investigation, Satheesan pointed out that the high court had disposed of the case after a preliminary examination.

“Look at the case’s trajectory. It was initially examined by the home ministry and it found no merit in the case. Second, when the government sought the Speaker’s approval for prosecution, the Assembly secretariat also examined it and the then Speaker announced that these charges could not be slapped on me,” the Opposition leader said.

Satheesan further stated that a petition filed before a single bench in the high court seeking an investigation into the matter was disposed of without even sending him a notice.

“Then the case was filed in the division bench and even then the court did not send me any notice and disposed of the case after preliminary examination,” Satheesan added.

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Satheesan questions delay

He questioned the government for taking up an issue that happened four years ago and initiating a probe after a delay of several years.

“The issue happened four years ago and in the past three years, no case was taken up by the government. But now a probe has been ordered. I believe the people of Kerala are intelligent enough to understand the situation,” he stated.

The Opposition leader alleged that one has to shell out lakhs of dollars to sit with the chief minister in the US. He further reminded former Speaker MB Rajesh’s comment that the Loka Kerala Sabha was an extension of the Kerala assembly.

“We have strictly opposed the illegal collection of funds. These collections have no legal sanction and the collection of funds amounting to several crores is happening with the knowledge of the chief minister,” Satheesan alleged.

Satheesan further said the vigilance probe was ordered against him after he had raised the allegation that funds were collected overseas illegally.

“I had stated in the Assembly that the vigilance should investigate the case and file a report on the model for conducting relief activities during disasters,” he added.