Kerala’s Congress-led ruling UDF is on the verge of an explosion over the infamous bar bribe scam pertaining to the charge that Finance and law Minister KM Mani, chairman of front partner Kerala Congress (M), had taken
Rs1-crore bribe from bar owners with fresh graft charges being openly leveled against Mani from within the front. As accusations and counter-accusations within the coalition are flying thick, the KC(M) has demanded expulsion from the UDF of minor front partner Kerala Congress (B), whose chairman R Balakrishna Pillai had accused Mani – as per voice records of his telephone conversations – of taking bribe not only from bar owners but also from gold merchants and rice mill owners.
Pillai, a former Minister whom the Supreme Court had in 2011 sentenced to one-year imprisonment for corruption, “welcomed” the KC(M) demand but challenged the Congress and other parties to expel his party but threatened to disclose more stories of corruption in the Government headed by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
A strong section in the Congress, the ‘I’ group led by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala which is in fierce war against the Chandy-led ‘A’ group, has demanded that Mani, against whom allegations of corruption are mounting by the day, should not present the State Budget despite being the Finance Minister.
Johny Nelloor, chairman of the Kerala Congress (Jacob) which has only one MlA who is also a Minister, has demanded an urgent meeting of the UDF in the context of the bar bribe scam which has totally marred the front’s credibility. He wanted the front to discuss the issue extensively and to take steps to convince the people about the truth of the matter.
The discord in the UDF over the scam is complete with the KC(M) emphasising the point that there is a conspiracy behind the allegations against Mani and suspecting that a section in the Congress could be behind it. With the trust crisis in the front touching an all-time low, the UDF on Tuesday decided to hold a meeting next week to discuss the situation.
According to reports, Mani himself has asked the UDF leadership to expel Pillai’s party from the UDF. It is said that the Finance Minister has said that his party does not want to continue in the front if the KC(B) is allowed to stay on. For the UDF, both options are equally difficult at a time when the State is to have the local bodies polls within eight months.
As per the audio records of telephone conversations released the other day by bar owner Biju Ramesh, Pillai had told him that Mani had taken Rs19-crore bribe from gold merchants and Rs2 crore from rice mill owners apart from the
Rs1 crore allegedly taken from bar owners, forcing the KC(M) to accuse the KC(B) of being party to a conspiracy against Mani and his party. “The Kerala Congress (B) has relinquished its eligibility to continue in the UDF by being party to a conspiracy against one of its constituents,” said Joseph M Puthussery, general secretary of Mani’s party, adding that Pillai’s party should be expelled from the front. But Pillai, one of the founder leaders of the UDF, remained unfazed.
“I am not scared of the possibility of getting expelled from the UDF. In fact, I am ashamed to be part of a coalition which is drenched in corruption. But to leave it on my own is an emotional issue. I would prefer to get expelled. I know how to find my ways,” Pillai told a TV channel, adding that he would disclose more stories of UDF corruption once his party was expelled.
Meanwhile, Biju Ramesh reiterated his resolve to hand over more material to the Vigilance officials probing the bar scam to prove that Mani had indeed taken money from bar owners. He also said that he would give the Vigilance officials the proof for his claim that Minister PJ Joseph, working chairman of the KC(M), had tried to put pressure on him over the scam.