Lavalin case: Violence in Kerala as CPI-M observes black day

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Violence was reported from some parts of Kerala Monday as the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) observed a black day to protest the governor's nod to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute state general secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the Rs.300 crore (Rs.3 billion) SNC Lavalin scam. Violence was reported from Kannur, Palakkad, Idukki and Alappuzha districts with CPI-M activists going on the rampage. At Kozhikode, CPI-M activists torched a central government vehicle, while at Palakkad, they stopped traffic on the main road, forcing private bus owners to suspend operations for the day. At several places, educational institutions were closed and all examinations scheduled by various universities were postponed. Leader of Opposition Oommen Chandy Monday condemned the violence. "I am leaving for Kannur to see for myself the violence unleashed by the CPI-M at several places. Many have been hospitalised. The party politburo had said they would deal with the Vijayan issue politically and legally. But what happened today means that they have decided to deal with it physically," he maintained. Meanwhile, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan broke his silence on the issue and said that the CPI-M politburo will discuss the issue. Education Minister M.A. Baby, however, ruled out Vijayan stepping down from his post, while Law Minister M.Vijayakumar termed the governor's decision as
"unheard of" in the history of the state. Vijayan is accused of wrongfully awarding a contract to Canadian company SNC Lavalin for renovation of two power plants when he was the state power minister in 1997.