'Walloped' Chandy should resign on moral grounds: CPI

Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja on Friday said Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who has been walloped by solar scam allegations, has no moral right to stay in office.

"The Kerala Government has no moral right to stay in office after the vigilance court has directed to file a FIR against the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister should have stepped down by this time, but he is sticking to his position. It is not in the interest, probity and ethics in our political life and Mr. Ommen Chandy must step down and he cannot remain in office, he has no moral right to continue to be the Chief Minister," he told ANI here.

The CPI leader said the UDF Government in Kerala stands thoroughly exposed as far as corruption is concerned.

"The position of Left Parties has been vindicated, we have been raising the issues related to solar scam and other corruptions under UDF rule in Kerala, Now, our stand is proved correct and our stand is vindicated by many judicial observations. Ommen Chandy government has lost its credibility thoroughly and it has no moral right to be in office," he added.

Raja further said the protest against Chandy was expected as the people are expressing their anger and outcry against him.

"Mr. Ommen Chandy should take note of the public protest, public outcry. He cannot remain in office, he has to step down. Let the law take its course and Mr. Ommen Chandy should take up the issue at legal level and judicial level," he added.

Members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and BJP's youth wing are staging separate protests against Chandy outside the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram for his alleged involvement in the solar scam.

The protestors, who assembled in front of the secretariat, tried to break the police cordon. The police fired teargas shells to disperse the protestors and bring the situation under control.

Meanwhile, Congress MP from Ernakulam K.V. Thomas met party president Sonia Gandhi today to brief her about the latest developments in Kerala in the wake of growing agitations and protests staged by the opposition in different parts of the state.

Chandy, who has categorically rejected the opposition demand for his resignation, has moved a petition in the Kerala High Court seeking quashing of FIR ordered against him by the Thrissur vigilance court.

The vigilance court yesterday ordered the probe against Chandy and Power Minister Aryadan Muhammed on a public interest litigation filed by a social worker alleging their involvement in the solar scam following accused Saritha Nair's revelations before the Solar Inquiry Commission.

The solar scam pertains to cheating of several persons worth crores of rupees by Saritha and her co-accused Biju Radhakrishnan by offering solar panel solutions.