Congress' DNA reeks of corruption: BJP on solar scam case

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday bashed the Congress over the solar scam and said that the 'whole DNA of Congress reeks of corruption.'

Addressing the media here, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that taking measures against corruption has never been a part of the DNA of Congress, adding that the opposition party leaders, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, have done nothing to curb the never-ending corruption in the party.

Speaking about the solar scam, Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the commission that was set up by Congress leader Oommen Chandy, found only him guilty of the scam.

"Many other Congress leaders were also found guilty in the scam," Prasad said.

He added that the BJP demands a proper, fair and time-bound inquiry be done in the Kerala solar scam case.

"The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government has corruption inscribed in all its elements. First, there was the 2G Spectrum scam, then the Common Wealth and Adarsh Scam also happened," he added.

"It has been three years since our government came to power, and not even one case of corruption has come forward. But the previous government's scams have still not ended," said Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Ravi Shankar Prasad has alleged that another Rs. 600 crore scam in Uttarakhand has come forward against the Congress.

Chandy and his staff members - Tenny Joppen, Jikkumon Jacob, and gunman Salim Raj - had allegedly helped the prime accused in the solar scam, Saritha S. Nair and Biju Radhakrishnan, cheat the clients.

On October 11, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed an enquiry against former chief minister Oommen Chandy and others in connection with the case.

The chief minister's directive came days after the Commission headed by Justice G. Sivarajan, which probed the multi-crore scam, submitted its final report to him.

The case relates to swindling of lakhs from several people by Sarith S. Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan after promising to set up solar panels. They were business partners of Team Solar Renewable Energy Solutions Private Limited, a Kochi based firm.

Radhakrishan is another accused in the case.

They were arrested in October 2013 and in December 2016. The Judicial Magistrate Court in Perumbavoor had sentenced the duo to three years in prison and a fine of Rs. 10,000 each.

During investigation, the former chief minister and some of his cabinet colleagues were accused of taking a huge sum of money as a part of the deal. Chandy had deposed before the Commission in December 2016, saying that the charges against him were politically motivated.