Thiruvananthapuram: The KPCC office-bearers’ meeting on Thursday decided not to take any hasty decision on Enforcement Directorate’s recommendation to register an FIR against former chief minister and leader of the opposition Pinarayi Vijayan and others in the CMRL-Exalogic pay-off case. The office-bearers felt that the legal aspects of the matter should be examined in detail before deciding on further action, said party sources.KPCC president Sunny Joseph said after the meeting that the issue was complex and the party would proceed only after examining its legal implications. Reports said govt was likely to seek a preliminary vigilance verification, besides legal opinion, to ascertain the factual and evidentiary basis of allegations in the ED report.The meeting also discussed the power crisis plaguing the state. Sunny Joseph, who is also the electricity minister, said the crisis was largely the result of the previous LDF govt’s decision to withdraw from certain power agreements, among other factors. He said govt expected the results of its ongoing interventions to become visible within six months.The PM-SHRI issue also came up for discussion. CM V D Satheesan told the meeting that no final decision had been taken on the issue. He made it clear that Centre would not be allowed to interfere in the state’s school curriculum or in the selection of schools under the programme and that further action would be taken after the cabinet subcommittee submits its report. Satheesan also said the division of boards and corporations would be carried out at the earliest and that Congress would submit its list of representatives to govt this week, said sources.Former KPCC president M M Hassan, who headed a three-member committee to probe the Chirayinkeezhu clash involving party MLA Ramya Haridas and party workers, told the meeting that Ramya was at fault. The office-bearers also felt that some of Ramya’s actions were inappropriate. However, they maintained that the matter should be handled carefully and that further action should be based on the findings of the inquiry committee, said sources. Sunny Joseph, it is learnt, told the meeting that the party would take a decision on the matter only after due consideration. The inquiry report has been handed over to the KPCC president.The meeting also discussed measures to protect populated areas while opposing Centre’s proposed ecologically sensitive area (ESA) restrictions. The KPCC chief said both govt and Congress were committed to ensuring that agricultural land, residential areas and plantations were excluded while finalising ESA boundaries in Keralam.
