Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition Leader V.S. Achuthanandan on Thursday sought Finance Minister K.M. Mani’s resignation in the wake of the registration of an FIR against him in the bar bribe case.
Mr Mani rejected the demand saying that there was no need for him to step down though a case had been filed against him.
In a statement, Mr Achuthanandan said if Mr Mani refused to resign, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy should expel him from the council of ministers.
“The Mani case is unprecedented in Kerala as it pertains to one of the seniormost ministers taking bribe directly,’’ he said and added that the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) had registered the case after getting convincing and incriminating evidence against Mr Mani.
The Opposition Leader said Mr Mani had no moral or legal right to continue in office. His continuation in office could hamper a free and fair probe into the issue.
“I was the first to demand registration of an FIR against Mani soon after bribery allegations surfaced against him. But even before evidence could be gathered, Mr Chandy took the stand that Mani was not corrupt and that he was an epitome of honesty.
He adopted the same stand not only in the cabinet but also outside. With the Vigilance now registering a case and initiating a probe, Mr Chandy should correct his stand and apologize to the people of the state,” Mr Achuthanandan said.
Mr Mani told reporters in New Delhi that there was a conspiracy against him in the bargate scam. He claimed that there were cases against other leaders and that this was not the first time a minister was being included in a case.
KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran rallied behind Mr Mani. He told DC that the FIR was a routine practice as per the law. He added that just because a case had been charged against Mr Mani did not make him a culprit and that there was nothing wrong in him continuing as finance minister.
