THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Congress (M) chairman K. M. Mani said that he would not reveal the contents of the report prepared by his MLA C. F. Thomas on the bar bribery case. However, Mr Mani said he had not thought of quitting the UDF. He pointed out that despite party leaders threatening to leave the front, they had decided to stay put. But party sources reveal that two senior MLAs like P. J. Joseph and Mons Joseph were not keen to leave the front which has got the blessings of the Congress leadership.
KC (M) had setup an internal inquiry committee to probe the bar scam. Mr Mani said it was for the party’s welfare that such an investigation team had been set up. “If I reveal the contents of the report, it will affect the UDF. We know the conspirators behind the bar bribery case. Since the matter is before the court, it is sub judice and therefore I will not reveal the contents”, said Mr Mani.
However, KC (M) sources told DC that in the report, both the factions belonging to the Congress had not been spared. The main conspirator was the then home minister Ramesh Chennithala, then excise minister K. Babu, then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and vigilance special unit SP R. Sukesan. However, the report says that though Chandy did not have a direct role in the conspiracy, he did not come to the defence of Mr Mani which antagonized the latter all the more.
“But at the same time, Chandy is not fully innocent either as Babu belongs to his camp. So we feel that Babu would not have been able to close 418 bars without the blessings of Chandy. Moreover, Mani Sir never saw the controversial files and it was sent only to the Advocate General and not to the legal department”, said a top KC (M) leader.
At the steering committee meeting, several leaders urged Mr Mani to leave the UDF. Four out of six MLAs of KC (M) decided that they would abide by whatever decision the party steering committee would take. “People of Pala sent me to the Assembly as a fitting reply to the allegations raised against me. Voters have been sending me to the Legislative Assembly for more than five decades now. KC (M) has got a good tolerance level”, added Mr Mani.
In a lighter vein, Mr Mani said that there were several setbacks during his stint as a legislator. But the more setbacks he received, he came out victorious all the more, he said. A majority of the KC (M) leaders said at the steering committee meeting that the Congress had cheated them and there was no point in sticking on in the UDF. They alleged that Mr Mani was singled out in the bar bribery case and also during the budget presentation. The leaders also said that the same Congress leaders who did not defend Mr Mani during his budget presentation did not utter a word when LDF finance minister Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac presented his budget recently.
