Thiruvananthapuram, March 17 (IANS) With general elections only weeks away, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has tried to give a clean chit to himself in the Rs.70 million solar scam, even as he slammed the media in the state as "negative and sensational".
The 70-year-old Chandy, in his second stint as chief minister, spoke to IANS -- his first interview to the media since the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls.
Chandy blamed the Left opposition for hyping the solar scam through their protests, when it was 'exposed' in 2013, but insisted that with time everything had fallen flat.
"We announced a judicial probe and till now they (opposition) have not been able to bring out anything on the scam. They tried their best to make political capital and all their protests to keep this issue alive not only failed but also did not yield any result," said Chandy.
The chief minister's office had been at the centre of the scam in which three of Chandy's staffers were linked to Saritha Nair, one of the key accused in the scandal. Nair, along with her live-in partner, is accused of cheating many investors promising to supply them solar panels worth millions of rupees.
Chandy lashed out at the media in Kerala for being negative and prone to sensationalism, leaving little scope for reporting on developmental issues.
"I am not saying they (media) have been unfair to me. It's the same when it comes to other parties and political personalities. I know they have nothing political or personal but it's just that they only want to sensationalise news," Chandy said.
The chief minister, however, said he does not rely on the media alone as far as popular outreach is concerned.
"While they (media) want controversies, I want results. A stage has come that I now ignore all that surfaces in the media. I have also worked out a strategy where I myself try to reach out to the people in various ways. For that I have to work harder and I am doing just that."
Asked about his party's prospects in the Lok Sabha polls, his face lit up. "History is going to repeat, and it would be even better than the 2009 result."
In 2009, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured 16 of the 20 seats. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) managed four.
Nearing the halfway period in power in Kerala, Chandy also expressed confidence in his governance and the achievements clocked in that period.
"Even before anyone asked or said it, I was the first to announce that the coming election will be a referendum on my government. I am very confident because everything is positive as there are no issues in my party and in the UDF. People here know what we have done," said Chandy.
Responding to the political challenge posed by the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats, which triggered a stir in the hilly districts of Kerala like Idukki and Wayanad, Chandy said the government went out of the way to work out a solution.
This was something, he claimed, no other state affected by the findings of the green report had done.
The chief minister said the wooing of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), which quit the Left alliance after for over three decades, was not a case of political opportunism.
"We made it very clear to them (RSP) that there will be no talks with them until they exit LDF. We commenced talks with them after they formally announced their decision to come out."
No Violation of Model Code of Conduct: Jaitley
New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) The BJP Friday said it has not violated the model code of conduct by publishing an advertisement in newspapers Friday a day ahead of Delhi election."There is no violation of
Delhiites need permission to put up political posters: court
New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) The Delhi High Court said Thursday the city's residents can put up political posters at their homes but with prior permission from authorities.A division bench of Chief
Liquor Scam: 'More than 300 CBI-ED officers took 24 hours...nothing found', Kejriwal's taunt on the raid
The Enforcement Directorate is tightening its grip on the alleged liquor scam in Delhi. It is reported that ED officials conducted major raids in three states including Delhi early this morning. Apart
Facebook antitrust case: WhatsApp and Instagram can be sold, Zuckerberg's company lost to US agency, it will be true
Facebook may have become meta now, but its problem is not taking its name to end. Meta has long been accused of antitrust. There are allegations against him that he is not giving other small companies
Ram Mandir: Enthusiasm about Ram Mandir even in foreign countries; Live telecast of the consecration will take place at Times Square.
The live telecast of the consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22 will be not only in the country but also abroad. It will also be telecast live at the famous Times Square in New York City,
Devoted Congress members, non-working scanner at Sonia rally (Sidelights)
New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) Thousands of people, including a large number of women, Sunday gathered to see and hear Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at her first rally for the Feb 7 Delhi assembly elections
Kanjhawala Case: 'We are in the process of imposing section 302', police revealed in court in the Kanjhawala case
A hearing on the bail plea of Ashutosh Bhardwaj, accused in Delhi's Kanjhawala hit and drag case, was held in Rohini court on Monday (January 16). The court has reserved the verdict on the bail plea
US Shooting: Firing at Michigan State University in America, one killed; many people were injured
The incident of firing has come to the fore once again in America. According to the news agency Reuters, shots were fired at Michigan State University in East Lansing on Monday. In which one has died,
Bigg Boss OTT 2: Puneet Superstar appealed to the fans to delete Jio Cinema, said - swear on your mother
Bigg Boss OTT 2: Social media influencer Prakash Kumar aka Puneet Superstar is upset with the makers of Bigg Boss and is exhorting his fans to boycott content provider Jio Cinema. On Friday, Punit
Playing Holi? Shun artificial colours (Holi is on March 6)
New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) Fifteen-year-old Priyanka Sahoo - a chronic dermatitis patient - will never forget the Holi of 2012. A brief fling with artificial colours led to her undergoing surgery