Chandy accuses Oppn of 'hunting' him as solar' Saritha makes new claim
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has come down heavily on the Left Democratic Front (LDF) opposition, stating its relentless onslaught against him in the last five years was far worse than hitting an opponent ‘below the belt’.
"To level such horrible allegations is called ‘hitting below the belt’ in English. In my case, it was worse than hitting below the belt because the personal attack was so severe," Chandy, who was the epicentre of the opposition attack, wrote in an article here.
Read: Solar scam: Prime accused Saritha Nair drags Kerala CM’s son into controversy
"Family is the greatest asset for all of us. The Opposition tried to drag my family into various allegations to weaken me," Chandy said, apparently referring to the solar scam in which his family was also named.
"Had any other chief minister in the history of Kerala been hunted like this?" Chandy asked.
Read: Solar scam: CM phoned mom asking not to reveal details, says prime accused
Attacking the LDF, Chandy said the Opposition did not support the government on any matter, but only created ‘hurdles’ for development. They have set a very bad precedent, he wrote.
Referring to the solar scam that has been in news since 2013, Chandy said the Opposition had relied on the words of a life-row accused for his wife's murder and another accused involved in 33 cheating cases.
Read: No police case against Kerala CM in solar scam, says High Court
The solar scam pertains to cheating of huge sums allegedly by Saritha Nair, the prime accused in the case, along with her accomplice Biju Radhakrishnan by offering people solar panel solutions. Radhakrishnan is in prison on charges of murdering his wife, while Saritha is now out on bail.
In another development, Saritha on Monday claimed that Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary and MLA Benny Behanan had asked for Rs 5 lakh as party fund, which she had given in cash during an inaugural function. She said she had records to buttress her claim.
Read: Truth has prevailed, says Oommen Chandy after court reprieve
She added it would be better if the interim report of the Solar Judicial Commission could be presented before the elections so that it would help people know about those involved in this scam.
"Today, the commission cross-examined me regarding Benny Behanan's matter. I already have a strong political relation with him. I had given Behanan Rs 5 lakh as party fund. I furnished details regarding that today. I am going to give a petition regarding the CDR (Call Detail Record) of my three telephone numbers, which I used from 2012 to 2016. I think it would be better to give an interim report before the elections," said Saritha.
Earlier, deposing before the Justice Sivarajan Commission, which is probing the solar scam, Nair had accused Chandy and his cabinet colleague Arayadan Mohammed of accepting a bribe of Rs 1.9 crore for setting up solar power projects in the state.
The case took a political turn with the arrest of one of Chandy's close aides, who had alleged links with the accused. Two other employees in his personal staff are also under the scanner in connection with the scam.
