But Oommen Chandy digs in his heels
The battle waged by Kerala's left Democratic Front Opposition to force Congress Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to resign over the infamous solar power scam has shifted from the Assembly to the streets. However, Mr Chandy, the Congress and its allies are unwilling to bow. The scam pertains to a series of frauds committed by con-woman Saritha S Nair, her ex-husband Biju Radhakrishnan (accused of killing his former wife Rasmi) and actor Shalu Menon, with the help of powerful politicians, bureaucrats and police officials in the Congress-led UDF regime. Mr Chandy is accused of showering his blessings on this racket. Saritha, Biju and Shalu had cheated several persons by collecting crores of rupees from them, promising to instal solar power plants and windmills, touted as the future of energy generation.
To convince the victims of their credibility, they would produce certificates issued by the Chief Minister's office and bring them into telephonic or direct contact with Mr Chandy's aides and other people in power. After Saritha's arrest on June 3, it was proved that three of the closest aides of the Chief Minister were in intimate contact with her. One of them was arrested, another was suspended from service and the third simply vanished. Saritha was said to have been wielding immense influence over the Chief Minister himself and was in regular contact with many top officials. Shalu, arrested last Friday, also had similar links. On Monday, a victim of the racket disclosed through the media that Chandy himself had during a meeting at his office assured him in Saritha's presence that his deal with her company would be smooth. As expected, the Chief Minister instantly refuted the charge. And when it became hard for him to defend against the furious Opposition's mounting attacks in the Assembly, the Government took the easiest way out by asking the Speaker to guillotine the session, forcing the Opposition to take its battle to the streets.
It is apparent that the scam would have grown into a scandal of astronomic proportions had it gone undetected. The Government had all but decided to make the installation of solar power plants mandatory at homes and Government and quasi-Government establishments. Clearly, the racketeers, now under the lens, would have immensely profited. Since news of the scam first broke in the second week of June, Mr Chandy and the UDF have consistently ruled out his resignation. The Opposition sought a judicial probe into the matter, which could have necessitated Mr Chandy's resignation. Instead, the Government instituted a probe by Kerala Police, which was nothing but a farce as the police would be unable to make any move against its own bosses. However, this week's developments have forced the Congress high command, which is in no better position than the Kerala unit thanks to the UPA's own scams, to consider the issue. But nobody in Kerala expects any decisive action from there.