Alleging that CBI's making CPI-M State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan an accused in SNC-Lavalin graft case was "politically motivated", Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac on Saturday said the deal had not brought any loss to the state exchequer as alleged by the investigating agency.
The deal inked by Vijayan as Power Minister was a follow-up of the consultancy contract awarded by the UDF government to the Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin to renovate the Panniyar, Chenkulam and Pallivasal hydel projects, Isaac told reporters.
Listing of Pinarayi Vijayan by CBI as an accused in the ongoing SNC-Lavalin case was "wrong" as the former Power Minister had only tried to execute the deal initiated by his predecessor G Karthikeyan who had awarded the consultancy service to the Canadian firm, he said.
The case against Vijayan is "politically motivated to gain political mileage in view of coming general elections as the name of Karthikeyan did not figure in the list of accused in the Rs 374.50 deal, he said.
Claiming Kerala actually had benefitted by going ahead with the deal, Isaac said Vijayan, as former minister, had made special efforts to cut down costs under various heads and the renovation work was awarded only after an expert committee's advice.
{{/usCountry}}Claiming Kerala actually had benefitted by going ahead with the deal, Isaac said Vijayan, as former minister, had made special efforts to cut down costs under various heads and the renovation work was awarded only after an expert committee's advice.
{{/usCountry}}He said CPI-M was not in favour of investigating the alleged graft by CBI as the party was conscious of the fact that there was "transparency" in the entire dealing.
To a question, the Minister refuted the suggestion that the Chief Minister was keeping studied silence over the issue.
Isaac said Achuthanandan as a party politburo member is not bound to have a different opinion on finding the name of his party state secretary as one of the accused.