Thiruvananthapuram: The bar scam rocked the state in 2014 when Biju Ramesh a bar owner alleged on a live television debate that Mani, who was then the finance minister, had demanded a bribe of Rs 5 crore from the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Associ-ation and had accepted Rs crore for renewing the licences of over 400 bars in the state. It cost him his cabinet rank in the UDF Government led by Oommen Chandy. When the High Court came up with an adverse reference against him, not even Chandy could save Mani.
A peeved Mani stepped down in disgrace. But later when the LDF came to power, they gave him a clean chit. It was then alleged that the CPM has been trying to woo Mani to the LDF. Speculations were rife when he attended a seminar on the sideline of the CPM’s conference that he will join the Left. But it never took off as Mani was being wooed by the BJP as well with majority of the party workers standing against the move to leave the UDF. However, a peeved Mani left the UDF for a brief period only to return back to
the fold during the Chengannur by-election period.
