Government Hand in Glove with Bar Owners: Pinarayi

KOZHIKODE: Toughening its stand on the bar bribery issue, CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday that the government and bar owners had joined hands to hoodwink the public. Pinarayi told reporters here that the government had earlier given promises to the bar owners.

“The corruption behind the bar issue should be brought out. Donation and bribery are two different things. But attempts are being made to make it believe that both are the same with the intention to help the government,” he said, adding that the CPM had not taken money from anyone.

Reiterating his party’s demand for a court-monitored Special Investigation Team to probe into the matter, he added, “The role of the chief minister, finance minister and excise minister should be investigated by the SIT.”

He  further went on to call Oommen Chandy a shameless chief minister and demanded his resignation in the solar panel scam. “After the judicial commission probing the solar scam has decided to look into the role of the CM and his office in the case, he should quit and face  judicial probe. However, the CM, on several occasions had proved that he was shameless. “If Oommen Chandy does not relinquish his post on his own, the Congress leadership should ask him to,” he said.