VS hits out at SNDP chief Natesan

Thiruvananthapuram: CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan Wednesday hit out at Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam General Secretary Vellapally Natesan and wanted state the Vigilance department to speed up the probe against him in the 'micro finance irregularities case.'

In a statement, Achuthanandan, also the Chairman of the State Administrative Reforms Committee, said he had in a letter to Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau Director Jacob Thomas sought holding the inquiry under the supervision of an officer of the rank of superintendent.

Already six months had passed after a court ordered registration of case against Natesan, he said. The present probe by a circle inspector was moving at a snail's pace, Achuthanandan said.

Natesan had approached the court to quash the FIR registered, he said adding the court had not passed any orders that put hurdles in the investigation."In this circumstances, Vigilance should speed up probe against Natesan," he said.

Natesan had early this year launched a new political party BDJS -- Bharat Dharma Jana Sena, which joined hands with BJP in the state to fight the assembly polls. SNDP is an organisation of the backward Ezhava community in the state.

The case was registered based on a complaint by Achuthanandan. It was alleged that huge amounts of money were taken as loans by the operators of the Yogam's microfinance scheme from the government's Backward Classes Development Corporation and nationalised banks at five and four per cent interest respectively and distributed at higher interest rates to the beneficiaries.