KM Mani quits UDF, Congress loses Kerala ally of 30 years

Mani said his party’s exit from the UDF was “unavoidable”. He added, however, the KC(M)’s two MPs would offer issue-based support to the UPA in Delhi. Besides, in local governing bodies and cooperative institutions, the party would maintain status quo with regard to the alliance, he said.

Asked about the reasons behind the move, Mani alleged that the Congress had conspired to defeat KC(M) candidates in the recent elections. “There was an exclusive fund, special recruitment and study classes to work against KC(M). Certain people in the Congress leadership worked against KC(M). I am not revealing the name, but everyone knows who is at the receiving end,’’ said Mani.

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In the 47-member Congress-led Opposition, KC(M) has six MLAs. Differences between Mani’s party, which was the UDF’s mainstay in several constituencies in central Kerala, and the Congress had come to the fore after the assembly elections.

Mani had previously alleged that a conspiracy by some Congress leaders was behind the bar bribery case against him. These leaders “fabricated” the scandal to prevent Mani from possibly switching over to the CPM-led LDF, a move which would have toppled the previous UDF government last year, KC(M) sources said.

KC(M) sources said that Mani believes that Ramesh Chennithala, who had held the Home portfolio in the previous government, had allegedly “trapped” him because of his reluctance to support a change of leadership that would have helped the Congress leader become chief minister.

The Vigilance department acted swiftly on the complaint against Mani, but did not display the same enthusiasm when Congress leader and then excise minister K Babu faced a more serious bribery allegation, the sources alleged.

They said that by severing ties with the Congress, Mani wanted to send a message that he does not accept the leadership of Chennithala. Sources said that the next big electoral battle in the state — the Lok Sabha elections — is three years away which gives enough space for Mani to decide on further course of action.

Chennithala, meanwhile, described KC(M)’s decision as “ludicrous”. “If the UDF were in power, would Mani have dared to quit the coalition? They should have discussed the issues in the coalition forum. KC(M) has betrayed democracy. No one will be allowed to challenge the self-respect of Congress,’’ said Chennithala.

Mani had resigned from the previous government last November after the Kerala High Court upheld a Vigilance court’s order to conduct a further probe in the bar bribery case.

The first FIR in the case was based on a verification report submitted by the Vigilance bureau following allegations from liquor baron Biju Ramesh and CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan that Mani had accepted Rs 1 crore as bribe from bar owners to reopen over 400 bar-hotels found to be “substandard”. Mani and then chief minister Oommen Chandy denied the charges.