The solar scam that rocked Kerala politics about a decade ago and continued to make waves for years, is back in the headlines, putting both the ruling CPI-M-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF in a difficult situation.

Veteran journalist John Mundakkayam has claimed that the CPI-M-led LDF’s much-hyped “indefinite” siege of the state secretariat protest in August 2013 demanding then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s resignation for his alleged involvement in the Solar scam, ended with a compromise deal between the CPI-M and the Congress.

The new revelations regarding the Solar scam and the LDF’s ‘secretariat siege’ were made by John Mundakayam, former Thiruvananthapuram Bureau Chief of the Malayalam Manorama daily, in his book on the solar scam, which is being serialised by Samakalika Malayalam Vaarika.

In its latest issue, the article indicated a clandestine operation by the CPI-M to settle the agitation.

John Mundakayam has revealed that the CPI-M took the initiative to settle the solar strike and John Brittas MP, who was then the head of the ‘Kairali’ channel backed by the party and a confidant of then CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, played a key role in brokering the compromise.

John Mundakayam revealed that journalist John Brittas had called him for reconciliation at the behest of the CPI-M leadership. He disclosed that Brittas asked him to inform then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy that the protest would be called off if a press conference was held immediately and a judicial inquiry announced to probe into the Solar scam.

“When I mentioned that the chief minister (Oommen Chandy) had already suggested a judicial inquiry, Brittas insisted that this information should be disseminated through a press conference. I verified whether this decision came from the party leadership and then conveyed Brittas’ message to Oommen Chandy. When Chandy asked if this was the party’s decision, I replied that this was my understanding. He (Chandy) then asked me to inform P.K. Kunhalikutty (IUML leader). Kunhalikutty contacted Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan (the then Home minister), who in turn spoke to Brittas and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
N.K. Premachandran met the UDF leaders as a representative of the Left front. That is how the protest came to an end,” Mundakkayam claimed.

“Oommen Chandy announced a judicial inquiry after an emergency meeting. Within minutes, the leaders, including Pinarayi Vijayan, who was the state secretary, called a meeting at the AKG Centre and called off the protest,” Mundkkayam further said.

Meanwhile, John Brittas said he did not have any conversations with senior journalist John Mundakayam. It was Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishanan, the then Home Minister who contacted him saying that any compromise could be made to end the strike.

Brittas said: “There’s half-truth in what the article said. The then Home minister Thiruvanchoor (Radhakrishnan) had got in touch to find a solution to the agitation. He called Cherian Philip, who handed me the phone. Thiruvanchoor said the government was ready for any kind of compromise.”

However, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan endorsed Mundakkayam’s revelations. “There is nothing controversial in the new revelations. We held discussions with everyone to find a solution. The demand was the chief minister’s resignation. The UDF was not ready for it. Later when they wanted to settle the agitation, we responded positively,” said Radhakrishnan, adding that the UDF had the satisfaction of getting the expected result.

In this connection, CPI-M state committee member M V Jayarajan has dismissed senior journalist John Mundakkayam’s allegations that his party leaders intervened to settle the Solar case protest.Jayarajan termed the allegations as propaganda against the CPI-M.

BJP state president K Surendran said that the disclosure of John Mundakayam regarding the settlement of the Solar scam is a proof of the politics of compromise in the state.

He said the CPI-M called off the solar protests as a quid pro quo for the Congress’ help in diluting the Revolutionary Marxist Party(RMP) leader TP Chandrasekharan murder case probe.

The Congress and UDF should apologize to the Kerala community who are still using TP Chandrasekaran’s murder politically, Surendran said.