K M Mani corrupt or not? Kerala CPM in a tight spot

Kerala Congress (M) party founded by Mani and now headed by his son Jose K Mani is now a coalition partner in the LDF

A statement reportedly made by the Kerala government at the Supreme Court on Monday that former Kerala Finance Minster K M Mani was corrupt has put the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the state in a tight spot. The Kerala Congress (M) party founded by Mani, and now headed by his son Jose K Mani, is a coalition partner in the LDF.

The counsel for the Kerala government made the statement during hearing of a plea by the state government to withdraw the case against six LDF leaders, including Education Minister V Sivankutty and former industries minister E P Jayarajan, in connection with the violent protest in the state Assembly in 2015 to prevent Mani, who was the then Finance Minister in the Congress-led government, from presenting the state budget.

Following the infights in the Kerala Congress (M) after K M Mani's death in 2019, the faction led by his son joined the LDF. It also has one minister now.

For this reason, the stand of the government counsel that Mani was corrupt has triggered a political row in the state.

The Kerala Congress (M) already demanded the government to withdraw the statement that Mani was corrupt. Party general secretary Stephen George said that Mani was exonerated by the court in the allegations pertaining to accepting bribe from bar owners for giving relaxations in the then UDF government's liquor policy.

Meanwhile, CPM state secretary in charge in Kerala A Vijayaraghavan said that the government lawyer did not use Mani's name. What he meant was that the then UDF government was corrupt. The media had misinterpreted it with dubious intention, he alleged.

LDF leaders are facing the case under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Properties worth Rs. 2.2 lakh were damaged in the bedlam with the LDF members even climbing the speakers dais and damaging the chair and electronic systems. The LDF government that subsequently came to power moved court for withdrawing case citing that the incident happened in the assembly and the house took action against the MLAs. It also maintained that the Legislature Secretary gave police complaint without Speaker's nod.

The Kerala High Court earlier rejected the plea and subsequently the state government approached the Supreme Court. The SC maintained on Monday that the unruly behaviour of lawmakers in Parliament and Assembly cannot be condoned and they should face trial for destroying public property inside the House. It was while justifying the plea to withdraw the case that senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who appeared for the Kerala government, reportedly stated that the stir was staged against Mani as he was corrupt.

Jose K Mani later said that the state government lawyer did not mention K M Mani's name in the affidavit. He alleged that the opposition parties were trying to make political gain by making it an issue.