Vijayan summons INL leaders after bribe allegations surface

Thiruvananthapuram, July 5 Fresh trouble has broken out for Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after allegations surfaced that ruling LDF constituent, the Indian National League (INL), had allegedly sold its quota of a Public Service Commission member for Rs 4 million.

With this becoming a major issue, Vijayan has asked INL top brass President Abdul Wahab and Secretary Kasim Irikur to meet him in the state capital on Wednesday.

The INL has been an ally of the Left for long, but was made a full-fledged LDF member recently and its lone legislator, Ahamed Devarkoil was also made a cabinet minister after the April 6 polls.

The PSC is the constitutional body which conducts tests and interviews to all state government jobs and has at present 21 members, who are all nominees from various ruling political parties.

A PSC member serves for a term of six years or the age of 65. The monthly perks include salary and allowances to the tune of Rs 2 lakh, not to mention a fat pension, besides medical treatment for the member and spouse after retirement, and hence, there is a mad rush to get the post.

A section of leaders of the INL say that the PSC membership was given much against the wishes of a majority in the party, who feels that there were few other deserving candidates for the post, but it was given to someone in the name of raising funds for the party.

The matter was pointed out by senior INL leader E.C. Mohammed, who on Monday, was ousted from the party for breaching discipline.

"I have not yet received any intimation of any action against me. My fight is against corruption and we cannot spoil the name of our party. I will speak with like-minded party leaders and chart the future course of action," he said.

The INL leadership has, however, dismissed the allegations.

"All the reports of collecting money for a PSC nominee are baseless and in our 27 years as a party, we have had no issues of any sort of corruption," Irikur said.

Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that there is a section in the INL which is upset in the way its nominee in the cabinet Devarkoil is functioning and this issue is also likely to surface in the Wednesday meeting.

Following this issue snowballing into one which could take of the sheen of the second Vijayan government, it is being viewed seriously by the CPI-M and especially Vijayan, who has summoned the party leaders.

All eyes are on the outcome of the meeting, as the upcoming Assembly session is likely to see the issue being raked up by the Congress-led opposition.

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