Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Sunday that CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan statement criticising the comments by party Idukki district secretary M.M. Mani lacked sincerity.
Talking to mediapersons, Mr. Chandy pointed out that Mr. Vijayan was not able to confidently state that neither the CPI(M) nor its members had any role in the murders that were mentioned by Mr. Mani. “His stance only strengthened suspicion that the members of his party had conspired to eliminate its enemies. I am of the opinion that the press conference (called by Mr. Vijayan) was merely intended to become a medium to caution his party members against making public statements,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the comments made by Mr. Mani were of a serious nature and legal proceedings would be initiated to unravel the truth. “His revelations have come at a time when the party's leadership has reiterated its declared stance against political violence.”
Mr. Chandy added that the party's State leadership, which constantly alleged that the police had adopted inhumane methods to extract truth from the accused in murder cases, must clarify whose pressure had led to the disclosures made Mr. Mani.
Cases may be reopened
Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said here on Monday that the government was considering various legal options, including the reopening of the cases that were referred to by Mr. Mani in his Saturday's controversial speech.
Talking to mediapersons here on Sunday, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the ‘revelations' made by Mr. Mani were of highly serious nature. “I have received startling information regarding the disclosures that have been made. They also point towards the possibility of a political conspiracy. The murders that were mentioned in the speech will be investigated. The police are currently examining various materials, including the tape of the speech and the findings made by the police at the time of the killings,” he said.
To a question whether senior political leaders of the CPI(M) would be charged in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case, Mr. Radhakrishnan said: “The police force is not investigating the case in accordance with any pre-conceived plan. At the same time, it must be noted that attempts made by the CPI(M) to obstruct the course of investigation and distort any facts for political gains will not be tolerated.”
