Thiruvananthapuram: The graft allegation levelled against Kerala Finance Minister K M Mani by a bar hotel owner is going to benefit Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the CPI-M said yesterday.
CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said they are the least surprised with this allegation as the Chandy government is known for such things.
“He do not disbelieve the allegations levelled by Biju Ramesh, as such news was in the air for long. Moreover, Ramesh is a known businessman. But the real winner in this episode is Chandy as Mani’s party was for some time was trying to make Mani the chief minister,” said Vijayan.
Bar owner Ramesh said on a TV channel that Mani had demanded Rs5 crore for allowing 418 bars in Kerala to remain open. These bars were ordered to be closed from the beginning of this fiscal.
Ramesh, also the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association working president, said that association office bearers had handed over Rs1 crore in two instalments to Mani at his residence in Kottayam.
In the 140 member Kerala assembly, the Chandy government has the support of 75 legislators including the nine legislators of Kerala Congress (Mani).
Speculations have been in the air for long that 81-year-old Mani who has been a legislator since 1967 has been nursing ambitions of becoming the chief minister.
The Left opposition has been wooing Mani to rock the UDF boat and join them with an unwritten understanding that he will be made the chief minister with the CPI-M extending outside support.
Vijayan unlike his arch rival V S Achuthanandan appeared soft on Mani. While Vijayan called for a probe, Achuthanandan demanded a CBI enquiry into the graft allegation. Government chief whip and vice chairman of Mani’s party P C George said that Chandy came out in defence of Mani after 13 hours, when it should have happened immediately when the allegation surfaced. IANS
