THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former chief minister Oommen Chandy, who was given a clean chit by the CBI in the solar sex scam case, said that his public life has always been an open book. Chandy, who is currently in Bengaluru for treatment for his throat problem, said in a Facebook post that everyone should think whether it is right to come up with baseless allegations and put them under a cloud of smoke, and brand them as tainted.
Also read: Solar scam sexual assault case: CBI gives clean chit to former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy
The CBI investigation revealed that the complaint lodged by the victim that Chandy sexually assaulted her at his official residence, Cliff House, was a mere allegation. Soon after the CBI informed the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Thiruvananthapuram, on Wednesday that Chandy was not present at the Cliff House on the particular day cited by the victim, his party colleagues spoke to him over the phone. Senior leader K C Joseph told TNIE that over the last nine years Chandy had always been confident of getting a clean chit in the CBI case as his conscience was clear. Within a few hours, Chandy came up with a Facebook post claiming that “truth can never be hidden”.
“There were reports that I would be arrested by the crime branch due to pressure from the ruling government. I got legal advice urging me and other leaders to go for anticipatory bail. I rejected that advice as my feeling was that let them charge a false case against me which I would challenge. Later they backed out from arresting me and others for fear of backlash,” Chandy said. After the CBI gave a clean chit to Chandy, LDF leaders remained mum.
Jubilant Congress leaders rallied behind the veteran leader. Speaking to reporters in Kochi, Opposition leader V D Satheesan lashed out against the LDF Government. He demanded that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should apologise to Oommen Chandy and his family. “Who will tender an apology for the humiliation and hurt the senior leaders had faced in the solar scam? This should be the last case being levelled against the leaders by the CPM. Pinarayi had maintained that the case was referred to the CBI owing to the complaint raised by the victim,” said Satheesan.
State Congress president K Sudhakaran was all praise for the CBI. Taking a dig at the Kerala Police, Sudhakaran said it was good that the CBI took up the case which saw them initiating a fair probe. Earlier, Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, Attingal MP Adoor Prakash, Wandoor MLA A P Anilkumar, and national general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal were given a clean chit in the solar scam case. Congress Working Committee member A K Antony said that there is nothing surprising in the CBI giving a clean chit to Chandy.
“Everyone knew that the solar sex scam case was a fabricated story. He has come back unfazed which reveals that it was the Marxist party that had hatched a conspiracy against Oommen Chandy,” said Antony.It was the ‘A’ group led by Oommen Chandy that suffered the most in the solar sex scam which also saw his loyalists MP Benny Behanan and Thampanoor Ravi coming under the scanner. The rival ‘I’ group took advantage of the situation despite Hibi Eden, A P Anilkumar belonging to that group also facing similar allegations.