KOTTAYAM: With the resurfacing of an internal inquiry report by the Kerala Congress (M) over the bar bribery scam putting the Congress — especially Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala — on the back foot, senior leaders have rallied around the party leadership against the allegations.Senior Congress leaders Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, K C Joseph and Joseph Vazhakkan dismissed allegations in the KC(M) report that Congress leaders, led by Ramesh Chennithala, conspired to trap K M Mani in the bar bribery case.
Joseph Vazhakkan, who came down heavily on Jose K Mani over the report, challenged the latter to prove the involvement of any Congress leader in the alleged conspiracy. “The concocted investigation report was prepared by Jose K Mani and his sidekicks, especially a former Kochi-based hotelier. The objective behind the report was to put forth a logical reason for KC(M)’s decision to stay away from the UDF shortly after the 2016 assembly elections,” said Vazhakkan.