Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan asserts that he has not entrusted anyone to fight his case and that the government is free to initiate any action against State Information Commissioner K. Natarajan.
Replying to questions on the alleged telephonic talk that Mr. Natarajan had with one of the Vigilance officials inquiring into the alleged irregularities in sanctioning land to P.K. Soman, a relative of his, Mr. Achuthanandan said: “I don’t need any help from any quarters. I have fought several corruption cases single-handedly.”
Mr. Achuthanandan said he conducted a case against R. Balakrishna Pillai for 20 years with the help of prominent lawyers, who succeeded in getting court verdicts that led to his conviction. “The government, the Vigilance Department or courts can take any legal action on the basis of evidence against the official,” he said.
In reply to another question, Mr. Achuthanandan said the alleged telephonic conversation had been cooked up by certain people who wanted to weaken his case before the High Court, posted for October 17. He had conducted several cases related to corruption during the United Democratic Front rule. After coming to power, the approach of people such as Oommen Chandy and K. Kunhalikutty was to frame him for decisions taken during his tenure as Chief Minister. Mr. Natarajan had been appointed State Information Commissioner during his tenure as Chief Minister, but the appointment was made on the basis of the signed recommendation of a committee, which had Opposition and ruling front representatives, he said.
