Excise Minister K. Babu has accused Kerala Bar Hotel Association working president Biju Ramesh of conspiring with the Opposition to topple the UDF government and fabricating evidence to complement the charges levelled by him since October last.
Responding to Mr. Ramesh’s allegation that he had paid a bribe of Rs.10 crore to the Minister, Mr. Babu told reporters here on Tuesday that some responsible member of the Association should clarify when, where and how the money was paid to him. Mr. Babu also alleged that Mr. Ramesh had a meeting with Opposition leaders at the residence of a CPI(M) MLA here at 7 p.m. on December 15. The hotelier sought an assurance to open the 418 closed bar hotels and the leaders wanted to topple the government. He also released a CD purportedly comprising the names of certain Opposition leaders. The Minister said that he would file a defamation case against the hotelier on Wednesday.