No substance in new allegations, says K M Mani

Kottayam: Kerala Congress (M) chairman K.M. Mani has said that  there was  no substance in the new corruption allegations levelled against  him, into which  Vigilance director Jacob Thomas has ordered a quick verification by the Vigilance and the Anti- Corruption Bureau. The allegations were raised  by BJP leader Noble Mathew, a former KC(M) leader,  to settle personal scores, Mr Mani told reporters at his residence at Pala on Saturday.

The Kottayam Vigilance court had earlier found the charges  baseless and dismissed them, he said. “The petition given to the Vigilance director  by Mr Mathew is against the court procedures. The Vigilance court at Kottayam had made it clear that there was  no merit in the complaint. The complaint has been given now  due to  personal rivalry. An officer is not bigger than a court,” Mr Mani said.  

It may be recalled that  a  Rs 150-crore  corruption case was alleged against Mr Mani,  while he was finance minister,  for granting tax relaxations to various ayurvedic cosmetic products, and another one of Rs 65 crore  in granting tax exemption in the broiler chicken export.  Mr Mathew,   BJP state committee member,  approached the Vigilance director with the complaint  to catch the headlines,   Mr Mani alleged.

He  added that Mr Noble had left the party due to his  desperation in not getting any post in the KC (M).  “The new complaint filed by him is due to this,”  Mr Mani alleged.   Former chief minister  Oommen Chandy visited Mr  Mani at his residence on Saturday evening while coming to attend  a function at Pala.  Mr Chandy told reporters that Mr Mani and the KC(M) were  an integral part of the  UDF.