Congress set to fight back

Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has given RTI before Chief Secretary to get the report of the solar judicial commission’s report. As a first step, the Congress leadership has also decided to approach the court to get the report of the solar judicial commission. The leaders have decided to seek expert legal guidance on how to move forth in the case. At the same time, the top leadership has also decided to apprise the AICC leadership of the truth behind the case.

The Congress, badly mauled by the government move to take action based on the report submitted by the Justice G. Sivarajan commission in the solar scam has started contemplating taking defensive measures. As a first step, former chief minister Oommen Chandy eon Thursday filed an RTI before the chief secretary to get the report of the judicial commission’s findings in full. Mr Chandy on Thursday reached his home town Puthupally in Kottayam and spent the day liaising with his group leaders over the phone. In between, he came up with the first salvo, saying in a Facebook post that the findings announced by the chief minister were at variance with the terms of reference of the commission. He also reiterated that he is innocent and has been wrongly implicated in the solar case.
“As per the Commission of Enquiry Act, the terms of reference of the commission are set and accordingly the report has to be filed,” Mr Chandy said.

“There is not even a per cent of fact in my involvement in the solar case where I have been wrongly implicated.” Mr Vijayan is trying to create controversies purposefully so that his poor performance as CM will not be highlighted, the former chief minister alleged. Mr Chandy lamented that the chief minister has kept mum on the commission’s findings and instead resorted to political vendetta against Congress leaders. The ‘A’ group leaders have decided to challenge the case before the court where they will argue that there are discrepancies and elements of political vendetta by the LDF government not letting out the entire copy of the commission report. They will also point out that there a procedural lapse in letting out the report before it being tabled in the Assembly.

The Congress has also filed a complaint against Mr Vijayan for violation of privilege of the MLAs. Congress deputy leader in the Assembly K. C. Joseph filed a complaint with Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan pointing out that the chief minister revealing the details of the inquiry commission report to the media before tabling it in the Assembly was a violation of rights of the Assembly members. Mr Joseph also alleged that the chief minister resorted to make a politically motivated move. Former Congress MLA Benny Behanan, whose name also figured in the report, told DC that the leadership is waiting for the report of the solar judicial commission in full. “We want to know first the solar commission’s findings for which we have filed an RTI,” he said. “Accordingly, we  will seek legal help. Now what has happened is  that the accused Saritha S. Nair has been made  a ‘saint’ by the LDF  government.”

Mr Chandy will be leaving for New Delhi on Friday morning where he will be apprising the AICC leadership of the details on the solar case. However, party circles feel former KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran’s silence on the imbroglio is deafening. It should be recalled that it was Mr Sudheeran who had requested the AICC leadership during last May that those tainted Congress ministers should not be given seats to contest in the Assembly elections, triggering a major controversy. “Mr Sudheeran has decided not to speak openly against his party colleagues,” said a leader close to Mr Sudheeran. “The morale of the party workers has already hit the rock bottom and he does not wish to aggravate the situation further. But Mr Sudheeran will be opening his mind before the AICC leadership where he, too, has been invited for the meeting in New Delhi on Friday.”

The chief minister had on Wednesday announced Oommen Chandy will be booked for taking bribe and for helping and sexually abusing Saritha S. Nair, an accused in the case. A criminal case will be booked against then home minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan for being an accomplice and trying to sabotage the investigation by influencing police officials. Meanwhile the date of the high profile Political Affairs Committee is  yet to be fixed and is most likely to happen after  the senior Congress  leaders return from New Delhi.