Fire Storm on Solar Scam; Congress Govt in Kerala on Verge of Collapse!

N S Sajith

Peoples Democracy

DARK clouds of a political turmoil are hovering over Oommen Chandy’s future as the chief minister, as the kingpin of a solar plan scam involving several crores of rupees has revealed about her nexus with the chief minister and his colleagues. Sarita Nair, who runs this under-controversy solar plant and windmill firm, is said to have perpetrated frauds amounting to crores of rupees, and she has now revealed to the police that the chief minister and his ministers had helped her run the business (!) it has been leant that Sarita Nair, who is now in judicial custody, was called by and met the chief minister many a time. When the call records were made public, the chief minister removed his private secretary Tenny Joppen and gunman Salim Raj on June 14.

In the Kerala legislative assembly, home minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan informed that an Additional DGP was deputed to investigate the issue. The opposition has demanded that the chief minister should resign and that a judicial inquiry must be ordered.

Sarita Nair was arrested in the second week of June in a fraud case and remanded. The interrogation revealed that various big shots in the Congress party and the cabinet had been helping her from the very inception of her firm. Sarita, while in police custody, confessed that the chief minister had issued a letter to her firm and that this letter was used to woo the investors.

In the meanwhile, her husband and director of the Team Solar company, Biju Radhakrishnan, whom the police was searching, revealed that Sarita had indeed met the chief minister and some of the ministers including the former minister K B Ganesh Kumar. He said he too, along with his wife, had met the chief minister and that she had had illicit relations with Ganesh Kumar. He also added that Sarita and Ganesh spent much time in a hotel in Coimbatore.

Soon after it, central minister K C Venugopal confessed that he had met Sarita.

The revelations pouring out in the media regarding this scam tell us about the gigantic fraud committed by Sarita’s firm in the name of installing solar power plants. Previously, it was daily Deshabhimani and TV channel Kairali which had made the call records public. Other media organisations, which were reluctant to carry the stories initially, later felt compelled to carry the news.

CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan has demanded immediate resignation of the chief minister. In a statement he said that a judicial probe must also be ordered.

Opposition leader in Kerala assembly, V S Achuthandan, has also demanded the chief minister’s resignation and a judicial enquiry.

Over the preceding four days, when revelations about the links between the chief minister and the directors of this notorious and fraudulent solar plant firm --- Team Solar --- heaped up and when the mobile phone call records were made public, various individuals came forward with complaints against Sarita S Nair and her husband, Biju Radhakrishnan. Surprisingly, even though Biju Radhakrishnan is a proclaimed criminal and an absconder, he has frequently been giving telephonic interviews to news channels.

After the shocking revelations came out, the chief minister sought to outrightly deny his involvement; this he did in the assembly as well as in media. But when more revelations came up, he began to show reluctance to interact with the media.

Various organisations including the DYFI have organised black flag demonstrations in front of the chief minister at various places. Fearing a heightening of the protest, Oommen Chandy cancelled all his public functions in Puthuppali, his own constituency. In the meanwhile, KPCC spokesperson M M Hassan reacted that the chief minister would quit if the allegations were proved. Chandy’s arch rival and KPCC president, Ramesh Chennithala, took a clever position, saying that the opposition is in the habit of unnecessarily raking up issues.

After Biju Radhakrishanan asserted that he indeed had had one hour chat with the chief minister. This too put the chief minister in a quandary of new problems. While the opposition has decided to take up this issue in the assembly, youth organisations have planned protest marches to demand the chief minister’s resignation.

On Uttarakhand Tragedy

The horror and immense tragedy of the loss of human lives and unprecedented destruction of homes and livelihoods in the Kedarnath, Chamoli and other regions of Uttarakhand is still unfolding.  The numbers of those killed is rising every day.  The urgency of immediate rescue and evacuation operations for the thousands who are stranded cannot be emphasized enough.  The Central Government must extend its full support to the State Government including for funds and materials.

It is essential for the State Government to harness the energy of all political parties and citizens organisations to devote their entire united energy into providing relief and succour to those affected. It must also enquire into the role that the indiscriminate tunneling of the hills by power projects and the huge dumps of silt which were never cleared, had to play in this terrible tragedy.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) extends its deep condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives.  It expresses its sympathy and solidarity to the lakhs of people affected. It calls upon its units all over the country to collect funds and materials urgently for relief to those affected. 

Oommen Chandy Should Resign

In view of the serious allegations raised against Shri Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala, about his alleged links with the perpetrators of the multi-crore solar power scam, the LDF in Kerala has asked for his resignation and a judicial probe into the matter.  The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that  the Chief Minister should immediately step down from his post pending a judicial probe into the matter. 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the  brutal police attacks on the people who were protesting against the inaction of the government. 

CPIM General Secretary Prakash Karat meets Senior Chinese communist party leaders

Liu Yunshan (R), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with Prakash Karat, general secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M)

A senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Liu Yunshan on Thursday (20th June) met with a delegation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, reviewed this year's meetings between leaders of China and India, saying they reached important consensus on consolidating the bilateral strategic partnership.

China and India are developing countries each with more than 1 billion population and the most important task for both countries is development, Liu said.

The Chinese people are committed to realizing the "Chinese dream" of national rejuvenation, which means state wealth and people's happiness, Liu said, adding it is also the dream of peace, development, cooperation and common prosperity.

The CPC would like to work with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to promote the development of the two countries and enhance the people's welfare, Liu said.

Prakash Karat, general secretary of the CPIM, said India and China are the world's two biggest developing economies.

There is huge potential for China and India to work together in both bilateral sphere and the international field, Karat said.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) would like to work more closely with the CPC on sharing experiences on state governance and promoting the growth of party-to-party and country-to-country relations, Karat said. Prakash Karat is leading the delegation for a week-long visit in China.  The other members of the delegation are: A K Padmanabhan (Polit Bureau member), Jogendra Sharma (Central Secretariat member), P Madhu and Rama Das (Central Committee members).

On Wednesday the delegation led by Prakash Karat met with  Vice President Li Yuanchao
Li, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said during the meeting that China and India are close neighbors and their relationship has made new progress since the beginning of this year.

He said the two sides need to work hard to push their strategic cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity to a higher level.

Noting that left wing parties like the Communist Party of India (Marxist) play an important role in safeguarding China-India friendship, Li said he hopes the party can strengthen contact with the CPC to promote stable and healthy development of the two countries' relationship.

Karat stressed the significance of developing the relationship and said his party will make unremitting efforts in this regard.

(Source : Peoples Daily)