Kerala court orders FIR against CM Oommen Chandy in solar scam

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, January 28, 2016: The Thrissur court today asked the police to file an FIR against Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Minister of Electricity and Transport Aryadan Muhammed in the solar scam.

The prime accused in the case, Saritha S Nair on Wednesday alleged that she had paid bribes of Rs 1.90 crore and 40 lakhs to Chandy and Muhammed respectively to set up mega power projects in the State.

Meanwhile, protesters who were targeting Chief Minister Chandy over the solar scam, were also laticharged outside Kerala State Secretariat.

Alleging "political conspiracy" behind the bribery allegations made against him by a solar scam accused, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today blamed a section of the bar owners for it.

 "The new allegations are part of a political conspiracy hatched in connivance with the liquor lobby. The government had taken a bold decision to close down several liquor bars.

Because they (bar owners) lost their battle in various courts -- high court and Supreme Court, they have come with new allegations to hit out at the government", he said.

"The government has the exact evidence in this regard", Chandy told reporters.

The allegations made by Saritha yesterday are part of this conspiracy, he said and criticised CPI(M) stating that as they were unable to topple the government, the Marxist party was making all out efforts to ensure that the Congress-led UDF does not come to power in the coming assembly polls.

The Marxist party had lost its face for seeking the government’s resignation after another solar case accused Biju Radhakrishnan had stated that he had a CD with incriminating visuals against the Chief Minister, he said.

Chandy said former  government chief whip PC George had also played a role in yesterday’s allegations.

Maintaining that there was no truth in the allegations, Chandy said the government had not lost even a rupee as alleged by the opposition in the scam and had not helped a company to gain even a rupee.

Noting that two weeks ago Saritha had told the solar commission that the Chief Minister was like a "father figure", Chandy said, "How has it changed so soon? What happened ?."

In 2014, Saritha had alleged that CPI(M) had offered her Rs 10 crore to topple the government. "We had not reacted then," Chandy said.

Chandy, who reached here by train, was greeted with black flag-waving protesters of DYFI and Yuva Morcha -- the youth organisations of CPI(M) and BJP respectively.

Police had a tough time chasing away the protesters who also shouted slogans against Chandy. The protesters alleged that pepper spray was used against them.

Courtesy: Indiatoday