A State police force holding a probe against its own boss, the Home Minister, would normally be viewed as nothing more than a farce but that is exactly what the Kerala Police has now been forced to do.
Kerala Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan of the Congress has asked the special police team probing the infamous solar scam to investigate the allegations of the links between him and arrested con woman Saritha S Nair, co-owner of the fraudulent solar power company behind the scam, following reports on telephonic conservations between the two.
The State Police is attempting to hold a probe against the Home Minister on his own orders just when the Opposition is demanding a judicial probe into the alleged role of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his office over the scam because the State police cannot hold an effective investigation against the head of the Government.
Telephone records have showed that Saritha Nair had called Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan at least four times within four days in January. The charge has come at a time when he is facing isolation within his own party with regard to his activities as Home Minister and the Congress’s ‘A’ group led by Chandy is beginning to have doubts about his loyalty.
The special police team probing the scam has collected details of the alleged phone conversations between Saritha and Thiruvanchoor and has also decided to question the con woman in detail with regard to this. However, it is not yet clear as to how they would question the Home Minister if need be.
At the same time, State BJP general secretary K Surendran alleged on Wednesday that Thiruvanchoor had called Saritha on her phone in May when the police were searching for her. “Thiruvanchoor had talked to Saritha for 168 seconds. It is obvious that he has been trying to disrupt the solar scam probe,” Surendran said. Saritha was arrested on June 3.
Thiruvanchoor has so far maintained that he does not remember having talked to Saritha Nair by arguing that thousands of people could have been calling him as he was a political leader and Home Minister and that he has no way of knowing who is making which call.
This is not the first time Thiruvanchoor has come under suspicion with regard to the solar power scam. It has been alleged that the police were not arresting cine-TV serial actress Shalu Menon, who had reportedly played a vital role in the scam along with and Saritha Nair and her fraudster ex-husband Biju Radhakrishnan, because of her close connections with the Home Minister.
When it was alleged that he had participated in Shalu Menon’s housewarming ceremony, Thiruvanchoor had tried to claim that he was not an invitee but had gone there by chance prompting Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan to accuse him of trying to protect himself by telling lies.
Pictures of Thiruvanchoor and Union Minister Kodikkunnil Suresh accepting Shalu Menon’s hospitality at the function in Changanassery appeared in the media on Wednesday disproving the Home Ministers claims. Participants in the function said that fraudster Biju Radhakrishnan also was present at the actress’s house at that time.
At the same time, Thiruvanchoor is reportedly facing increasing isolation in the Congress’s ‘A’ group led by Chandy for trying to keep his image clean even when that of the Chief Minister himself is getting tarnished due to the scam. Rumours are rife that Chandy-loyalists now want Thiruvanchoor to be replaced as Home Minister by someone more trustworthy.