The Left Democratic Front (LDF) will stage a sit-in by elected people’s representatives on January 5 to press for Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s resignation in the light of the Solar Judicial Commission’s decision to take evidence from him in connection with the probe into the solar scam.
Briefing reporters after the LDF State committee meeting here on Monday, front convener Vaikom Viswan termed the developed unprecedented and said no Chief Minister of the State had ever been listed for providing evidence in any such case. At the time of constituting the Commission, the Chief Minister had announced that he and his office would be out of its ambit. However, the Commission had taken an independent view of the issue and decided to summon him and to probe the role of his office. This made Mr. Chandy’s continuation in office untenable, he said.
The LDF, he said, would also persist with its agitation for Finance Minister K.M. Mani’s resignation over the bar bribery allegations. The entire Cabinet was steeped in corruption and the allegations against Mr. Mani from bar owners and that against Public Works Minister V.K. Ebrahim Kunju from former Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar were all proof for this.
It had become clear that the change in the liquor policy was aimed at collecting money from bar owners.
The LDF would press for a comprehensive inquiry against the Public Works Minister, Mr. Viswan said.
The LDF convener said the front leadership had also decided to entrust with the Opposition MPs from Kerala to apprise the Central government of the serious situation in the State’s farm sector following the sharp fall in the price of rubber. Although the State government had promised to ensure Rs.135 a kg for natural rubber, the price of rubber had not shown any upward movement so far, he pointed out.
The government had also failed to make payments for the paddy procured from farmers.
This had brought paddy procurement to a standstill and landed paddy growers into a deep crisis, Mr. Viswan said.
