Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Wednesday that Sreedharan Nair, one of the complainants in the so-called solar scam, had made five different statements regarding his complaint.
Talking to the media after a Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said Mr. Nair had made statements before and after the one he had made before the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Ranni, which a Pathanamthitta court had made available to Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan. However, the media had reported only what they wanted. He would disclose the real reasons behind Mr. Nair changing his versions at an appropriate time.
Mr. Chandy said the Communist Party of India (Marxist) would have to pay the price for attacking him. The CPI(M) was a political party that functioned under democratic norms. If it would not allow him to function, the CPI(M) had no place in democracy and the people would decide its fate.
The Chief Minister said the attack on him did not warrant an investigation by an agency other than the State police. His suffering was nothing compared to the violence and losses suffered by Congress workers in Kannur district. He has been to Kannur several times before to meet such victims.
Asked about CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan’s statement that his party had no role in the attack, Mr. Chandy said he would be happy if Mr. Vijayan denounced violence. The visuals showed who the attackers were.
When reporters drew his attention to Mr. Vijayan’s contention that his injuries did not warrant hospitalisation, the Chief Minister showed reporters his bruised chest, after unbuttoning his shirt.
Mr. Chandy said he was not commenting on United Democratic Front convener P.P. Thankachan’s statement that some policemen had aided those who attacked him. He had directed the police against action to clear way for him and it was in that regard that the police were not to be blamed. He was not in favour of strengthening security for him.
He did not believe in celebrating his birthday, which falls on Thursday (Mr. Chandy turns 70). He planned to attend a function in Kochi on Thursday.
He said that further action would be taken for entrusting the case relating to award of contract for running the State Data Centre to the Central Bureau of Investigation. No Cabinet decision was needed for that.
