Thiruvananthapuram: Former chief minister and
senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy today played down the
reports that the mention of his name in connection with the
palmolein case by his colleague and former food minister
T H Musthapa could create problems for him when assembly polls
are drawing close.
He was reacting to reports that Musthapha, an accused in
the case, had stated in the discharge peition filed by him in
the special court that Chandy, as the then finance minister,
was aware of the cabinet decision to import palmolein from
Malysia.
As made out by section of the media, Musthapha did not say
that it was an injustice to have made him an accused while
leaving Chandy out of the amibt of the case, pertaining to
alleged loss caused to the exchequer through the deal, he
said.
"Musthapha did not say anything like that as claimed by
reports. Musthapha had only said he should be dischared from
the case. He himself has clarified it", Chandy told a press
meet here.
Chandy said he had never been accused of any wrongdoing in
the deal at any point in the two decade long history of
the palmolein case. It was the LDF Government that came to
power in 1996 that ordered the inquiry into the palmolein
deal.Alternately, LDF had been in power all these years, but
no government had ever said that he had any involvement in the
deal, Chandy said.
Chandy said his poltical stand in the palmolein case always
had been that the state did not suffer any loss on account
of the deal, but in fact benefited from it.
PTI
