Govt not averse to including CM's office under probe, says CM

Under attack from CPI(M)- led LDF opposition over the solar panel scam, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today indicated the government was not averse to including the Chief Minister's office under the ambit of the judicial probe into the scam.

'Government has nothing to hide and it would take a transparent stance while finalising the terms and reference of the probe', Chandy told reporters during cabinet briefing here.

He flayed the opposition resolve not have a dialogue with government to finalise the terms and references of the probe.

The oppositioin had failed to establish any of the charges they levelled against the CM's office or to link it with the scam, he said.

'If they had given their suggestions by now, todays' cabinet meeting would have taken a decision on it. It was the responsibility of the government to prove to the people that it had not done anything wrong', Chandy said.

While announcing the decision last week to hold a judicial probe in the scam, Chandy had stated the terms of reference of the probe would be finalised after getting suggestions from the oppsition which wanted to include the CM's office under the purview of the probe.

Chandy's statement comes in the background of LDF's decision to intensify its agitation demanding his resignation.

Meanwhile a LDF sub-committee formed to work out its suggestion on the probe decided to insist on inclusion of both Chandy and the CM's office under the ambit of the probe.

The committee opined there would be no point in the judicial probe if the Chief Minister and his office were not included in its ambit.

The solar scam that has rocked the state for the past two months and led to a two-day siege of the state secretariat by LDF workers from August 12, demanding resignation of the Chief Minister and a judicial probe into the scam.

LDF called off the seige after Chandy announced government's willingness to hold a judicial probe but vowed they would continue their agitation till Chandy resigned.

The scam pertains to cheating of many people by accused Biju Radhakrishnan and Saritha Nair, both under arrest, by offering clients solar energy solutions. They allegedly flaunted their clout with the CM's office to dupe unsuspecting clients of huge sums.

It took a political turn after the arrest of a Personal Assistant of Chandy for his alleged links with the accused. A gunman of the Chief Minister was also suspended for his alleged association with the fraudsters.