Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday dismissed allegations of wrongdoing in appointments to the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC).
Responding to accusations involving a CPI-M young leader in Kozhikode, who allegedly collected bribes from a person on the pretext of securing a position in the state PSC as a member, Pinarayi Vijayan said the constitutional body has been doing its duty diligently, but there have been efforts to malign it, which is very unfortunate.
During the Question Hour in the Assembly on Monday, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) legislator N Samsudheen raised the issue.
“A ruling party leader asked for a bribe of Rs 60 lakh to be appointed as a PSC member. Out of this, Rs 22 lakh was handed over to the leader and the party secretariat is investigating the incident. Similar allegations have surfaced before. What action will be taken on this allegation raised from Kozhikode,” he asked.
Addressing the concerns raised by the legislator, the Chief Minister said the KPSC has consistently upheld its Constitutional duties and has maintained a record free from corruption in its appointments. He also delved into persistent efforts to tarnish the reputation of the recruitment body with falsehoods.
The CM did not directly mention the controversy surrounding the CPI-M leader’s involvement in the alleged corruption.
However, CM Vijayan highlighted the various forms of fraud occurring in Kerala and assured that stringent measures would be taken against the culprits.