Former chief minister and Congress’ face in Kerala, Oommen Chandy, figures in the two-decades-old Palmolein import case. Chandy speaks to Saubhadra Chatterji. Edited excerpts:
You are the current Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and the party’s face in the election campaign. But you also find fingers pointing at you over the palmolein case.
This is pure political conspiracy. The V S Achuthanandan government has raked up a 20-year-old case to corner me before the elections. I was the finance minister in the government headed by K Karunakaran. Forget about me, not a single person in the whole finance department was ever made an accused. We were, in fact, made witnesses in the case. Even when there was a probe during the E K Nayanar [CPI(M) leader] government, I was not made an accused.
But how are you tackling the charges ahead of the elections?
The Achuthanandan government has raised four issues against me, all 20 years old. There is not a single new charge against me. I have already written a letter to the party high command, explaining my stand. I have also dared the state government to go ahead and make me an accused. I am giving them (the administration) time till the last day of filing nomination (March 26). If they do it, I will take a moral and legal stand on the issue. When CPI(M) general secretary Pinarayi Vijayan was accused in the Lavalin grafts case the party vowed to fight it politically. The government spent lakhs and lakhs of rupees to fight the case. They even filed a case against the governor.
So, you may not contest the election if made an accused before filing nomination?
There is no legal hurdle in contesting the election. But I would not like to create any problem for the party. It is also a moral issue. I have to take a call accordingly.
The Left has re-nominated VS. He will lead the poll for the Left Democratic Front (LDF). This is seen as a major boost for LDF.
VS’ re-nomination will have no impact on the polls. We are not concerned about one person. VS has become a problem both for the CPI(M) and the LDF. During the past five years, he has shown that he was above the party. Kerala has suffered a lot because of him.
