KOCHI: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was the mentor of an underworld gang led by Salim Raj and others, CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters here on Thursday.
Responding to questions on the arrest of Salim Rajm, former gunman of the Chief Minister, Pinarayi said that Mr. Chandy was guilty of protecting Salim Raj and his associates.
The CPM leader was in Kochi to depose before the Justice Sivarajan Commission probing the solar scandal. Pinarayi has also implicated Mr. Chandy in the solar scandal before the Commission.
The Chief Minister had misled the state assembly on the solar issue, he said in his statement. The price of solar panels was increased to Rs 2.7 lakh from 2.2 lakh with the intention of helping Team Solar, the company owned by Saritha Nair. The CPM leader has also submitted the telephone call details of Saritha Nair to the Commission.
Ministers Araydan Mohammad, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, KC Joseph and former union minister of state KC CVenugopal are also involved in the solar scandal, the CPM leader said in his statement.
