Solar panel scam: Kerala CM’s office under cloud, Congress stands by Oommen Chandy

KOCHI/ NEW DELHI: Congress has come out in support of chief minister Oommen Chandy and ruled out any leadership change in Kerala.


The Kerala assembly — which managed to pass the Finance Bill on Tuesday, but without discussion — was adjourned indefinitely after continued disruptions by the opposition Left Democratic Front, which demanded that Chandy quit over his alleged links to a scandal involving the sale of solar panels.

While Congress general secretary in charge of Kerala Mukul Wasnik brushed aside questions about a leadership change as “hypothetical”, defence minister AK Antony was categorical in his support of Chandy. Chandy also found backing from another Union minister Shashi Tharoor. “There is no political crisis in the state. None need to think that there will be a change of government,” Antony, who was in Kerala to attend funeral of his sister at Alappuzha, said.

The so-called solar panel scam erupted last month after Saritha Nair and her partner Biju Radhakrishnan, who launched a firm called Team Solar, were arrested on complaints that they had collected large sums of money from the public promising them solar panels but did not deliver the item. Chandy’s name was dragged into the issue after his staff was found to have had close links with Nair and Radhakrishnan.

LDF has called for a statewide strike on Wednesday to protest police action against its members. Opposit ion leader VS Achuthanandan was admitted to a hospital after a teargas shell fired by the police exploded close to him and he complained of breathlessness.

“There are laws and courts. The investigation process is going on. Now the opposition is unleashing violence and trying to force the chief minister to resign. That will not happen,” said Anthony.

“We have a very clean man as our chief minister. The party stands firmly behind him,” a senior Congress functionary told ET.