‘Can’t tell all, won’t quit’

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Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy chose to be tight-lipped about the details of the controversial meeting he had with serial criminal Biju Radhakrishnan.
 
“I will not reveal any personal details that  someone shares with me,” Chandy said even after journalists reminded him of Biju's statement that he had told the Chief Minister  about the relations between former minister Ganesh Kumar and Saritha S Nair.
 
Chandy reiterated that there was no reason for him to resign. “Why should I quit when I have not done anything against the law? The UDF government did not extend any favours to the solar scandal accused.
 
The chief minister does not have to resign because of telephone calls made by personal staff members,” he said. He also said that Congress MP, M I Shanavaz, had no direct relations with Biju. “Shanavaz sought an appointment for Biju as per the request of someone else,” said Chandy. He added that the meeting took place before murder charges were framed against Biju.
 
Chandy also alleged that the previous LDF government had not initiated proper action on the cases against the ‘con couple’ despite specific complaints.  
 
‘LDF was lax, did not stop con couple’
 
Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakris­h­n­an has alleged  pr­e­vious LDF government had gone easy on the couple Biju Radhakrishnan and Saritha S. Nair who  have been accused of cheating by using the name of then home minister Kod­iyeri Balakris­hanan.
 
In 2007, one K. Dev­ar­ajan (also known as Yogi Nirmalan-andagiri), from Charummoodu, gave a petition to the then Balakrishnan st­at­­­ing the fraudsters had cheated him, as well as many others, by claiming that they were close to Kodiyeri. But there has been no progress in the case. Kodiyeri had forwarded the petition to the DGP and from there it went to the concerned SP and that’s as far as things have moved.
 
Thee other cheating cases registered against Biju and Saritha are also in limbo. The two were arrested in 2010 in connection with a case registered at the Medical College police station. They were in custody for three months, but again the case has stalled.
 
There is sufficient reason to believe that the con couple got support from the previous LDF government, said Thiruvanchoor.
 
‘Couple left for TN during Left rule’
 
Thiruvananthapuram: Fraudsters Biju Radha­kri­shnan and Saritha were forced to shift  base to Tamil Nadu after the  Kerala police turned the heat on them during the LDF regime, according to Opposition deputy leader and former home minister, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
 
Denying  that there was any laxity on the part of the previous LDF government in dealing with the couple, Balakrishnan said the petition  by K. Devarajan of Charum­moodu ,  also known as Yogi Nirmalanandagiri, informing that some fraud had been carried out in his name had been immediately forwarded to the DGP for action. 
 
The Crime Branch inquiry into the death of Biju’s wife had also been ordered by the LDF government and both Biju and Saritha had spent time behind bars in three cases at the time, Balakrishnan recollected.
 
Maintaining that the couple had resumed their operations  in Kerala only after the UDF came to power, he  said the LDF was  ready to face a judicial probe  into laxity, if any,  on its part. Go­v­e­rnment’s stand that it was not possible to initiate such a probe as criminal cases had already been registered in the matter was baseless, he maintai­n­ed,  contending it was only trying to divert attention from the real issue by making baseless allegations. 
 
‘Firoz hid files to manipulate promotion’
 
Information and public relation minister K.C. Joseph has alleged that public relations director A. Firoz, who is said to have close links with Sar­itha S. Nair, the accused in the solar panel fraud, got promotion by suppressing files on allegations against him.
 
Information secretary Rani George has been asked to submit a report on allegations relating to him. Joseph said Firoz could get promotions as the file relating to the allegations against him went missing during the time of the previous LDF Government.
 
Though a complaint rel­a­ting to cheating with Firoz as the third accused along with Saritha and Biju Radakrishnan on February 26, 2009,  he was promoted by creating a new post of assistant dir­ector in November 25, 2010 overlooking this.  Present Government promoted Firoz as director there were no files against him. 

 
Fraudster almost conned NRK with Rs 35,000 cr plan
 
Smitha
 
Kochi: Solar fraudster, Biju Radhakrishnan allegedly tried to trick a  businessman from Dubai by approaching him to partner with him in a multi-crore solar project that he claimed to be contemplating in the state.
 
According to sources close to the businessman, Biju tried to get him interested in a Rs 35, 000 crore project  to install solar panels on the median on the Man­nuthi-Kozhikode stretch, which he said he was hoping to undertake for the government.  He also clai­m­ed that he and his wife, Saritha had a detailed discussion about the project with the Chief Minister’s personal staff  and it would be presented to Oomen Chandy  himself soon.
 
“Biju asked the expatriate businessman to associate with the project by providing the necessary material. But the NRI sensed foul play when he was told about some commission  running into huge figures, and decided to back out,” the sources said.