LDF sends Chandy ’s solar case to CBI

The Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala hijacked the pre-poll narrative by notifying a CBI investigation into the solar case in which former chief minister Oommen Chandy and some of his ministerial and party colleagues are alleged to have sexually exploited an entrepreneur women in lieu of government approvals.

When the victim recently approached the CM with a request to hand over the case to the CBI, little was expected of it as the case has been ‘over-investigated’ but with no significant progress.

The sensational case was the main theme in the campaign for the 2016 assembly election, which swept the Left Democratic Front government led by Vijayan to power.

But after having voted to power, the LDF government achieved pretty little in taking the case forward as several investigation teams closed their probe as they failed to find enough ground prosecute the accused.

Besides Chandy, the accused include former ministers Adoor Prakash, Anil Kumar, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, BJP national vice-president Abdullakutty, who was at that time with the UDF, and others.

Also stands accused is Jose K Mani of Kerala Congress-M, whose switching sides to the LDF helped it to score a significant victory in the recent local body poll, but there is no word if the CBI would probe him as well. The victim has, however, claimed she stands by her to accusation against Mani.

Reacting to the decision to leave the case to the CBI, Chandy wondered what the government was doing during the last 5 years when multiple FIRs had already been registered.

He said he was least perturbed by the development as it was a political decision and he had nothing to fear.

Notably, the government decision comes even as the Congress high command has named Chandy to head the election committee, charged with overseeing the entire process, including candidate selection and campaign, in preference to leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala.

The Congress described the move as politically motivated and said people of the state would give a befitting reply to this in the assembly election. KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran asserted the Pinarayi government move was prompted by the fear the LDF was set to lose the poll. It was deplorable the government has stooped to this level.