Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 26 (IANS): Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala on Friday said the state cabinet, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Chennithala said this after he 'exposed' the controversial deep sea fishing project that the Kerala government had decided to go ahead with in collaboration with EMCC -- a US headquartered company. Vijayan and two of his cabinet colleagues, Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty and Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan, have time and again when asked about this deal, said "they don't remember" anything.
"Had I not exposed this fraudulent project, which was literally selling the 'seas' to this US firm, the Vijayan government would have done that. Documents have been released that this project was being talked about and discussed at the official and ministerial level starting from 2018 when Mercykutty visited the US. Later a few rounds of talks were held here, in which Vijayan, Jayarajan, Mercykutty and officials from the industry and EMCC officials took part. When they were caught red-handed, each one of them has been telling lies or their stock answer is, they don't remember. Is the Kerala cabinet including Vijayan suffering from Alzheimer's," asked Chennithala.
Chennithala was responding to Vijayan's remarks on this project when he said, "he does not remember meeting EMCC officials. But if they say they have met me, I will not deny it because so many people come and meet me."
Vijayan on Thursday said that the entire deal with EMCC has been cancelled because he does not want anyone in Kerala to have any doubt.
"Just look back, each time Vijayan was caught napping, be it in Sprinkler or gold smuggling case, he got away by putting the blame on the bureaucracy. Look, in this deep-sea controversial deal, he has again blamed the officials. I fail to understand that if Vijayan has no clue about anything that's happening in his department, then why is he sitting in the chair of the chief minister," asked Chennithala.
He said the Congress led UDF will extend its full support to Saturday's 'coastal hartal' called by the fishing community and the boat owners to protest the manner in which the Vijayan government cheated them.
"We are organising two coastal rallies, one, starting from here and another starting from Kasargode and they will culminate at Kochi on March 7. We will expose the Vijayan government on this deal. Even though it has been cancelled, we demand a judicial probe into the entire sequence of events in this," said Chennithala.