Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has rejected the possibility of a change in leadership in the Congress in the light of the new revelations in the bar licence bribery case.
Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a function organised to honour Metropolitan Philipose Mar Chrysostum, who will turn 98 on Monday, here on Saturday, Mr. Chandy said there had been no demand from any quarters for a change in leadership.
‘Nothing new’
Expressing full faith in his Cabinet colleagues K. Babu and V.S. Sivakumar and others who had been named in the leaked out deposition of Kerala Bar Hotels’ Association leader Biju Ramesh, Mr. Chandy said there was nothing new in these statements which he had learned from the media.
“These issues were being discussed for the past six months. Why did Mr. Ramesh fail to spell out these names earlier? This is part of a concerted effort,” Mr. Chandy said.
The public was convinced of the honesty, capability, and commitment of these Ministers for the past many years, he said and added that there was no need for him to suspect them.
The Chief Minister rejected the idea of leadership change when pointed to the statements from certain quarters in this regard. “Who has made such a demand?’’ he asked.
Rejecting the demand for quick verification against the Ministers named in the leaked-out deposition, the Chief Minister said that even after six months, there had been no evidence against Finance Minister K.M. Mani.
When asked about the unpleasant remarks made by former Industries Minister Elamaram Karim against differently abled persons, (for which he has subsequently apologised), the Chief Minister said he would not comment on a statement which had been withdrawn. He, however, said his government had always given priority to an empathetic approach to the challenges faced by the differently abled.
