Thiruvananthapuram, Jan. 28 (IANS): The Congress in Kerala on Sunday slammed the Left government over its "fake morality talks" a day after NCP leader A.K. Saseendran was acquitted in a sleaze chat case filed by a woman journalist, saying the woman was forced to change her statement.
On Saturday, a court here gave a clean chit to Saseendran after the woman journalist backtracked on the statements. In March 2017, Saseendran resigned as Transport Minister over an audio clip in which he is heard having a lewd phone conversation with the journalist.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said it's strange that the Left in Kerala always engages in talks over morality but now with Saseendran successfully managing to get the case decided in his favour, the position of the Left has been exposed.
"...What happened in the court was a perfectly stage-managed act.
"All of us heard the voice of Saseendran when it was telecast by TV channels. And when that news was aired, Saseendran never said that the voice was not his, instead quit. It was the feeling of guilt which made him quit," said Chennithala, the Leader of Opposition.
The journalist last year filed a petition in the court against Saseendran, after the TV channel she worked for aired the "sleaze" talk.
But last week she told the court that Saseendran never misbehaved with her nor does she know if it was Saseendran who had spoken to her over the phone.
It was this fresh statement which led the court to exonerate the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader.
On Sunday, just before leaving for Delhi to meet the national party leadership and get a green signal for his re-induction into the Cabinet, Saseendran told the media that he is happy and relieved.
On what is next, he said: "There is going to be a decision that has to be taken by my party leadership and it would be one which will be beneficial to our party," said Saseendran.
With Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan having a soft corner for Saseendran, it's now a matter of days before Saseendran is sworn in again.
