As the state government moves toward an investigation based on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) report, the CPM has come out in defence of former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter T Veena, issuing a booklet to party workers explaining its position on the allegations.

The key arguments in the booklet, brought out by the party's state committee for circulation among its cadre, were published as an article in the CPM mouthpiece on Tuesday. The article sought to rebut the allegations against Pinarayi and Veena, but made no mention of state secretariat member P A Mohammed Riyas, who too figures in the allegations.

The party also called through the article for protests against what it described as “an attempt to target Pinarayi Vijayan out of political vengeance.” The banners and slogans at Tuesday's secretariat march, attended by state secretary M V Govindan, similarly focused on defending the former chief minister.

The article said political opponents had levelled similar allegations against Vijayan in the past without succeeding in politically damaging him and described the latest charges as yet another such attempt. It noted that a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act could be registered against Vijayan only if he had extended a benefit that caused a loss to the govt while benefiting himself. He had not extended any undue favour to CMRL and the allegations against Veena were being raised solely because she was the daughter of the then chief minister, it claimed.

Veena had conducted business with CMRL under a legally valid agreement, and the company had nowhere stated that it had not received services in return for the payments made to her firm, it added.

The article also referred to ED raids at houses in Kozhikode and alleged that ED officials had threatened Hassan Waris into giving a statement about hawala transactions.

Riyas puts his case before CPM
Meanwhile, Riyas is learnt to have explained to the state secretariat the allegations levelled against him, including those relating to hawala transactions.

He told the party that the allegations were baseless and that the ED's actions were based on some vague written material and statements allegedly obtained through threats.

After the state secretariat meeting, M V Govindan told reporters that Riyas had clarified the facts relating to the allegations and that the party was convinced that they were baseless.