Vigilance court order on KM Mani normal legal process, says Oommen Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the court order to reprobe the bar bribery case was part of legal process. He was speaking at a meet-the-press programme of the Kesari Memorial Journalist Trust here on Thursday.

Q: Is it morally right for the finance minister to continue even after the vigilance court verdict?
There is nothing unnatural about the vigilance court ordering a further probe. It is just routine procedure. The circumstances did not demand his resignation. Bar bribery case was merely based on oral statements. There is also a parallel between this and palm oil case. In the palm oil case, when the court ordered a further probe, I didn’t resign. Later, the vigilance court and also the high court endorsed the finding of the vigilance that there was no need for a further probe. If I had resigned in the name of palm oil case, what would have the people said?

Q: With vigilance director leaving, isn’t it ethical for Mr Mani to resign?
Vinson M Paul quit according to his conscience. That doesn’t mean that Mr Mani has to resign.

Q: Will the bar bribe case affect the UDF prospects in the elections?
Let the case be a topic of discussion at the polls. The UDF would explain the reality to the people.

Q: Won’t the case affect the credibility of the vigilance?
Similar cases have come up in the country. Isn’t CBI an agency with much credibility? How many cases probed by the CBI had been reprobed?

Q: Has the bar bribe probe created a problem for UDF?
Do you remember the first few months of the UDF? We had only a majority of two members. Everyone has thought that we would have lost power within six months? Don’t you know what happened after that?

Q: LDF leadership seems to be a united lot now? Will it help them in the elections?
We are confident of winning elections on our strength. The success of the present government was that there were no internal issues. Though the government had a lot of problems, none was due to issues within the coalition or the party unlike in the past. We don't rely on the weakness of others to win elections. We’ll win on our strengths.

Q: Is there a chance of parties from UDF, especially new entrants like SJ (D) and RSP, leaving for political realignments after the elections?
There is no scope for such developments. The central leadership of the SJ (D) was cooperating more with the Congress at the national level than earlier. The elections in Bihar will be a pointer to this cooperation.

Q: Wasn’t it necessary for announcing the name of the leader of the UDF in the next Assembly elections?
In the Congress, it is the legislature party after the elections that decides on the new leader.

Q: Do you think you will be the leader of UDF in the next assembly?
My role as the leader is up to the elections. It is for the KPCC to convene the meeting of the legislature party after the elections and elect a new leader. I have no say in it.