Chandy asks VS to stop 'lie campaign' or face legal action

Slamming CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan for spreading "blatant lies", Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today asked him to stop his "lie campaign" and apologise or else face legal action.
"Achuthanandan is using his election campaign to spread blatant lies. He has stated that there were 31 cases pending against me in the apex court and 136 corruption cases against 18 UDF ministers," Chandy said.
In a statement issued here, Chandy said the opposition leader should make it clear which were the cases pending against him and his cabinet colleagues.
"The truth is that there is not even a single case," he said, adding, if Achuthanandan does not apologise, he will be launching legal proceedings against him.

"If anybody files complaint or petitions in court or police stations, that does not mean a case has been registered. Only if an FIR is filed, it means a case has been registered," he said and challenged the Marxist veteran to produce a single FIR against him.
Against other ministers also there were no cases pending, Chandy said.

There was only one FIR against former Finance Minister K M Mani, Chandy said in the statement.
"Vigilance has already probed the case and filed its report, which is now pending before the court for consideration," he said.
Chandy, who is in the midst of a hectic campaign for the May 16 Assembly polls, said Achuthanandan had also raised allegations against his former adviser Shafi Mather who has filed a defamation suit against the veteran leader.

"Achuthanandan's main programme now is to retract his statements and apologise," he said, apparently referring to the leader withdrawing some remarks made against media personnel yesterday.
"He will also be forced to withdraw the allegation of 136 corruption cases," Chandy said.
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Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Chandy took potshots at Achuthanandan saying the Marxist leader seems to have lost all his energy.
"Yesterday we have seen a new Achuthanandan in a self- critical mode. We have often seen him standing rock solid on his stand. His volte face yesterday shows that he was afraid of someone," Chandy said.

"Whatever Achutanandan had said about holding on to position of power, he has swallowed it in a minute. People will understand your change of colour during election time," the Chief Minister said.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala also posted 10 questions to CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan,asking if he endorsed Achuthanandan's present stand on the Lavalin graft case.
Yesterday, Achutanandan had at first stated that he accepted the court verdict that favoured Vijayan in the Lavalin case until further orders were issued.
Shortly thereafter, he modified the Facebook post removing "till further orders".
Achutanandan, in his Facebook post attacked Chandy saying he has only questions, no answers.

"Chandy expects me to answer his questions, but the Chief Minister is running anway from my questions," he said today.