KA Antony

KOCHI Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy reached the state from Bahrain after receiving the United Nations award for his mass contact programme and straightaway landed into the thick of controversies involving his office and some of his personal aides with the multi-billion Solar scam cheat Saritha S. Nair and Biju Radhakrishan.

Tenny Joppan, his most trusted former personal staff, was arrested on Friday while Chandy was away to receive the award.

With the ‘I’ faction of the ruling Congress making backdoor operations for the exit of Chandy along with demand by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) led Left Democratic Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the fate of Chandyappears to be in danger.

Joppan was arrested on Friday by Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional Director General of Police A Hemachandran following a complaint by Sreedharan Nair, a businessman and Congress sympathiser. Joppan was remanded to 14 days judicial custody.

According to Hemachandran, Joppan had confessed that he had been in touch with Saritha for the last two years and it was with his help that Saritha had brought Sreedharan Nair to the office of the chief minister for making the shady deal. Nair was told the chief minister was busy and could not meet him but knows everything about the project,” he said.

It was first a warm welcome by Congress leaders and workers at the Cochin International Airport and later at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport for Chandy.

But he had to face the ire of various youth organisations, waving black flags and demanding his resignation.

Chandy said he would not intervene in the investigation. “Those found guilty will be punished. The government has nothing to hide,” he said.

Talking to Oman Tribune, Leader of the Opposition VS Achuthanandan said Chandy is trying to cling on to power to escape from the Solar scam.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala said that those found guilty will be punished. He also said that hereafter the party will decide the personal staff of all Congress ministers.