Thiruvananthapuram, April 10 – The Congress in Kerala, on Friday, intensified its attack on the Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPI-M government over the proposed shutdown of the State Secretariat's e-office system, with senior party leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V.D. Satheesan alleging a suspicious move aimed at concealing files related to corruption.
Chennithala termed the decision to take down government e-office servers for five days under the guise of maintenance as a "conspiracy to destroy evidence" ahead of a change in power in the state, which is heading towards elections.
He said there was no urgency to carry out such maintenance at this stage and added that it could easily be deferred until a new government assumes office in the state.
Earlier on Thursday, Kerala voted to elect 140 new legislators.
Calling the timing highly questionable, Chennithala alleged that the move was intended to delete files linked to large-scale corruption during the incumbent CPI-M government's tenure.
He also claimed that certain state government officials, including the State Chief Secretary, A. Jayathilak, were complicit, adding that even senior bureaucrats had expressed concern over the timing.
"A process that should be transparent is being undertaken when a caretaker government is in place, raising serious doubts about intent," he said, warning of strict action by the incoming government against those responsible.
Echoing similar concerns, Satheesan wrote to the Kerala Chief Electoral Officer, Rathan U Kelkar, flagging the IT Department's decision to suspend the e-office system from 10 p.m. on Friday until 10 a.m. on April 15 as part of a version upgrade.
He said that the move comes while the model code of conduct is in force, making its timing particularly contentious.
Satheesan asked whether the hasty decision was part of an attempt to remove crucial files during the election period.
He urged the Election Commission to intervene urgently to ensure transparency and prevent any tampering of official records.
The twin interventions have intensified the political row, with the Opposition projecting the shutdown as a potential digital clean up exercise, even as the state government says it is a routine technical upgrade.