Scam, leaks, and infighting put Chandy govt in a spot

IANS/ThiruvananthapuramTwo conwomen appear to have shamed a large number of Congress party leaders in Kerala.Telephone call details and images show that the women had hobnobbed with the politicians, including ministers.Fraudulent entrepreneur Saritha S Nair and film personality Shalu Menon, both accused in what has come to be called the “solar scam” have caused Congress leaders to be publicly shamed, exposing the close links of the political leadership with scamsters.Saritha S Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan had launched a firm called Team Solar that collected large sums of money on the promise of delivering solar panels. The couple was arrested last month after several complaints were received from people who had given Team Solar money, but received nothing in return.Shalu Menon, a dancer and TV actress, reportedly accompanied Biju Radhakrishnan when he visited a few prospective investors. She too was arrested on Friday.State Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan was also in touch with the two conwomen.Just as news spread that the home minister was among Menon’s guests at a function at her home in Kottayam district, a telephone call list showed that Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar and Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash had contacted Nair.Congress legislator and former minister K B Ganesh Kumar and union Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal were also on the list of political leaders in touch with Saritha Nair.Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Kodikunnil Suresh had been in touch with Menon. All the ministers claim they could hardly be expected to screen all calls, and that they interacted freely with members of the public. “Menon resides in my Lok Sabha constituency and I have already said that I have been to her home for a function. Because she is a voter from my constituency, it’s natural I would go to her home,” Suresh insisted.Meanwhile, there are suggestions that telephone call details are being leaked rather copiously to the media on account of the factionalism in the party, and the rivalry between Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and state Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala.Chandy has ordered an investigation by the state intelligence chief into the fraud. Rival factions now blame each other for the leaks.K Muraleedharan, who has now joined hands with the Chennithala faction, told reporters on Saturday that it was a shame to see Menon taken by the police into custody, and still travelling like a VIP in her own car. “An investigation should be conducted into why the Congress ministers spoke in the middle of the night to Nair. I’m sure the conversation was not about the party constitution,” said Muraleedharan sarcastically.Former home minister and CPI-M member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said: “Chandy and his team of swindlers had close ties with scamsters. Is that not the bigger shame than the leaks to the media?”Chief minister in damage control mode

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy yesterday flaunted the Kochi Smart City project, Kochi Metro, mono rail projects at Kozhikode and in the capital city, and the Kannur airport as some of the infrastructure projects started in his tenure. The chief minister, facing flak after members of his personal staff and cabinet were found to be closely involved with two women accused of fraud, said many infrastructure projects that had stayed on the drawing board for years have now taken off, including for the Vizhinjam Port. “But the Left opposition is just interested in kicking up a ruckus. It plays petty politics and is not even really interested in identifying the real culprits involved in the scam. We will identify the culprits, come what may,” Chandy said, as he took a weekly tour of his Puthupally constituency. Chandy said that the Rs50bn Smart City IT project has begun.