On the CAG’s attack against Kerala Govt’s developmental projects

After all the major central agencies, it is the turn of the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) to target Kerala and hamper the State Government's major developmental projects, including work on improvement of facilities at all Government schools and hospitals and road development works.

Now, who is the current CAG? G.C.Murmu was appointed as the CAG earlier this year. Murmu was earlier the Principal Secretary and most trusted aide of Modi during his years as the Gujarat CM. After the Gujarat riots of 2002, the State Intelligence Bureau chief R.B.Sreekumar had accused Murmu of “unauthorisedly tutoring, intimidating, forcing and pressuring” witnesses to depose in favour of the Gujarat Government in the riot cases.

Murmu was later made joint secretary of the Home Department, headed by Amit Shah. He is also known to have handled Amit Shah’s case papers, when the latter was in jail in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case. Murmu is so trustworthy that after the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir in August 2019, he was appointed as the 1st Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

So, it is quite natural that the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), which has been the engine of growth and development under the LDF Government, would be targeted by the CAG. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, a Sangh Parivar organisation, has gone ahead with a case against KIIFB, with an aim to stall it. According to Finance Minister Thomas Isaac, this attack on KIIFB is being engineered by sangh leader Ram Madhav.

Unfortunately, Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan is appearing for the sanghi organisation in this case to stop Kerala's development. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has predictably taken up the case with more zeal than even BJP leaders. The joint game of the BJP and the Congress in Kerala is becoming quite clear now. That game is certainly against the interests of the state.