State secretary of CPI(M) Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the Opposition Left Democratic Front does not intend to topple the UDF Government in the State.

Its sole demand is Chandy’s resignation over the solar scam, which had compromised the office of the Chief Minister through alleged complicity of staff.

Vijayan said this while inaugurating the day-night protest sit-in in front of the Secretariat seeking the Chief Minister’s resignation followed by a judicial inquiry.

Chandy’s Cabinet colleagues, including Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, too are guilty of wrongdoing in the scam, he said.

“But we are not concerned; we demand resignation of only the Chief Minister,” Vijayan said. A judicial inquiry was the best option for Chandy to come clean since he had always sought to protest his innocence.

Chandy’s resistance to a probe was borne out of fears that more skeletons would tumble out of the cupboard.

“There has been a virtual torrent of statements and evidences against Chandy. So much so, he could even become a co-accused with prime accused Saritha Nair,” Vijayan alleged.

He added that Saritha Nair, along with Tenny Joppen, who was removed as Chandy’s personal staff, had misused the Chief Minister’s chamber and conference hall for nefarious activity.

The scam involved an amount of Rs 40,000 crore originally committed as investments by a few entrepreneurs in the State, Vijayan alleged. A probe must be ordered to determine how a mega investment had since come to be appropriated in bits and pieces by scamsters.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has said that solar energy is Kerala’s future and that genuine investments in the sector should not get affected by the scam.

The Opposition’s stance in the matter is very clear, he said while addressing the demonstration.

Pannian Ravindran, State secretary of CPI, and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, deputy leader of Opposition, were among those who addressed the demonstration.

> vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in

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