Kerala Solar Scam: BJP Demands Resignation of Oommen Chandy

New Delhi: The BJP today accused Congress of "quietly approving" the corruption of its leaders even as it demanded the resignation of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy over the allegation of a solar scam accused that he had paid him a bribe of Rs 5.5 crore.

The party also sought a time-bound Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter and expressed its surprise over the "silence" of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi, calling their conduct "shameful".

"BJP's stand on corruption is of zero tolerance while Congress not only encourages corruption but also protects the corrupt... After the recent revelation, Chandy has lost moral right to remain chief minister. He should immidiately resign," BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said in a statement.

Citing the "silence" of Congress top brass over the corruption cases against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, he alleged, "It seems the top Congress brass is giving its quiet approval to Singh's corruption and black money."

Mr Sharma said the silence was raising many questions and wondered if top Congress leaders had a share in the "scams" of Mr Chandy, Mr Singh and other leaders who, he alleged, also included Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat and former Union minister Preneet Kaur.

"People want to know what is your compulsion that you cannot act against your three chief ministers facing corruption charges," he said.

Dismissing as baseless the allegation against him by solar scam accused Biju Radhakrishnan, Mr Chandy had told the state Assembly on December 3 that he had no right to continue in public life or hold any post if there was even one per cent truth in the charges.

Himachal and Uttarakhand chief ministers have denied the allegations against them even as Preneet Kaur today said that neither she nor her son Raninder Singh has received any notice regarding alleged bank account in HSBC.