The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) is expected to announce a preliminary investigation against CPI(M)’s Industries Minister EP Jayarajan on Friday over the charge that some of his close relatives were appointed in top positions in corporations under the Industries Department, making his resignation or expulsion from the Cabinet almost unavoidable.
VACB Director Jacob Thomas, who had earlier received the legal advice that investigation against Jayarajan, also a Central Committee (CC) member of the CPI(M), could not be avoided, took the decision to launch the preliminary probe after holding discussions with Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday.
The probe is likely to be carried out by the Bureau’s Special Investigations Unit (II) in Thiruvananthapuram headed by Superintendent of Police K Jayakumar, which is to file its report within 42 days. The agency will take a decision on whether to carry out a detailed investigation if sufficient evidences are found against the CPI(M) leader in the preliminary probe.
“Jayarajan should have resigned much earlier. Now, he should not continue in the position even for a minute in the changed situation.” The Vigilance took the decision on the basis of demands for probe from Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and BJP leaders V Muraleedharan and K Surendran.
The CPI(M) will take the final decision on whether Jayarajan should resign at a meeting of the party’s State secretariat on Friday. Though the general opinion in the party is that Jayarajan cannot continue as Minister on moral grounds, a section in it is of the view that action against him can be limited to taking the Industries Portfolio away from his hands.
This section points out that five ministers in the previous Congress-led UDF government had faced Vigilance probes but none of them had resigned from the Cabinet due to that. However, there is a feeling within the party that such limited action would not suffice in Jayarajan’s case as people expect the left to make no compromises in issues like nepotism and corruption.
According to CPI(M) sources, Jayarajan had informed State party secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan of his readiness to resign from the Cabinet during a meeting on Wednesday. Jayarajan admitted to Kodiyeri that there had been lapses on his part in the issue of the nepotistic appointments in the corporations under the Industries Department.
At the same time, unconfirmed reports said that Jayarajan had handed over his letter of resignation to the Chief Minister on Thursday as instructed by the latter. Sources said that Jayarajan had tried to explain his position during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday but the Chief Minister refused him the opportunity.
The nepotism row erupted in the State after it was revealed that Sudheer Nambiar, son of former Health minister PK Sreemathy, another CC member of the CPI(M) and Jayarajan’s sister-in-law, was appointed as managing director of Kerala Industrial Enterprises ltd, a PSU under the Minister’s department though he was not qualified for the position.
It was also found that three other relatives of Jayarajan, including Deepthi Nishad, daughter-in-law of his brother, had got prime positions in units that came under his department. Sudheer Nambiar’s appointment was cancelled later and Deepthi resigned as general manager of Kerala Clay and Ceramic Products the other day.