Chennithala’s blog on graft may churn Congress politics

: Minister for Home Ramesh Chennithala’s soliloquy on corruption, presented through a blog, is sure to churn Congress politics further, coming as it does shortly after the curtains came down on a verbal duel between the rival factions in the party on the whether the ruling United Democratic Front was in the shadow of corruption.

Mr. Chennithala, who had taken to the social media to communicate with party men and the people even when he was Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, has reopened this social media platform to communicate with the people on various issues, in turn seeking their opinions and suggestions.

Low corruption levels

Even while claiming that corruption levels in Kerala were quite low compared to other States, he expressed concern at certain shortcomings that were making life miserable for the common man. “We have lost several opportunities to debate this issue. It is unfortunate that debates ultimately end in controversies, which distract public attention and give an avenue for the culprits to escape. I believe the bar bribery is a case in point. It is a fact that unwarranted and inane controversies serve as escape routes for the corrupt,” Mr. Chennithala said.

He had sought to take tough action against corruption and other social evils during the 18-odd months he has been in office as Home Minister. Whatever may be the hurdles, he was confident of overcoming them. He was running into strong opposition whenever he took action against corruption, but he would relentlessly move forward disregarding all kinds of hurdles, he said.

“Allegations of corruption should not be just dismissed. The guilty must be punished whomsoever it may be or however influential. The connected agencies should conduct a comprehensive probe into corruption charges. Once the charges are proved, they should be punished without discrimination whether it is a Minister, political leader or official. This was necessary to gain the confidence of the people.” Mr. Chennithala promised to be a frequent blogger, focussing on several contemporary issues.

‘Allegations of corruption should not be just dismissed. The guilty must be punished whomsoever it may be or however influential.’