It's a conspiracy, I've never taken bribe in my whole life: Chandy
Kerala's long-running political soap threatens to turn the lights out on Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's political career.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, 72, is the man facing the fire after solar scam accused Saritha Nair told a Judicial Commission that she paid him a Rs 1.9-crore bribe. The embattled CM spoke to Associate Editor Jeemon Jacob.
Excerpts:
Q. Did you take money from Saritha Nair?
A. Never. I've never taken a bribe in my whole life. I came into politics to serve the people and not to make profits from the offices I hold. You can crucify Oommen Chandy all you want with the 'revelations' of Saritha Nair. But I've not taken any money from her.
Q. Do you think there's a political conspiracy afoot with these late revelations?
A. Of course, there is a political conspiracy. The Opposition in Kerala has lost its confidence and political will. Saritha has been out of jail since 2014 and she's been meeting mediapersons ever since. She has never raised allegations against me before. I also deposed before the judicial commission for 14 hours. Her lawyer never raised these questions there.
Q. Do you have any evidence to show that she had conspired to raise these allegations against you and your family?
A. I can't reveal the evidence now. But Saritha herself has told the media that she was offered a 100 million rupees by CPI(M) leaders to raise these allegations. She has not disowned her statement. One of the bar owners, Elegance Binoy, has also stated before the media that she met Saritha before the latter deposed before the commission. All my political life, I've worked with a clear conscience. I do hope people will realise this and reject all the allegations.
Q. Do you regret appointing such shady characters as your personal staff?
A: I'm a person who wants to do good for the people. When I take a hundred decisions, sometimes 10 of them may be wrong. I might have committed mistakes but I've rectified those when it came to my notice. I've never done a wrong deliberately. I've also not helped the solar scam accused or given them political patronage. When the case surfaced, I ordered strong action against the accused.