The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday demanded the resignation of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for his alleged involvement in the solar scam.
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"The Congress Party should be speaking out rather than asking for a report, summoning the Chief Minister and everything else. We demand that the Congress High command speak on this matter. We demand that the Chief Minister should resign," Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman told ANI.
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"It is a grave charge of corruption, one after the other, now at the doorstep of the Chief Minister himself," she added.
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The Thrissur Court in Thiruvananthapuram has directed that an FIR should be filed against Chandy in connection with this scam.
A petition has asked for a case against the Kerala Chief Minister after one of the two main accused in the case, Saritha Nair, told an inquiry commission that a bribe of nearly two crores was paid to the personal staff of the chief minister.
Saritha Nair and her partner Biju Radhakrishnan are accused of collecting crores from industrialists after promising them solar panels at cheaper rates, and using political connections to land big contracts.
Chandy had earlier on Monday appeared before the probe panel in connection with the scam.
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The scam, which is being probed by a Commission headed by Justice G. Sivaraman, was constituted by the Chief Minister in 2013 following massive protests by the Left-led opposition.
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Biju Radhakrishnan, the prime accused in the solar scam case, had in December last year alleged that he paid Chandy a bribe of Rs. 5.5 crore, out of which Rs. 5.1 crore was collected personally by the Chief Minister while the rest was paid to his personal staff.
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The Chief Minister has so far maintained that he has done no wrong and is prepared to face any probe.
The case took a political turn with the arrest of one of Chandy's close personal aides, who has alleged links with the accused. Two other employees in his personal staff are also under the scanner in connection with the scam.
