Bar bribery: Conspiracy hatched at CPI(M) MLA’s house, says Babu

Kerala's Excise Minister K Babu, who is facing heat over bar bribery scandal, on Friday alleged that a "political conspiracy" was hatched at a CPI(M) MLA's residence last December to target the UDF government over the issue. 

"A deliberate political conspiracy was hatched at a CPI (M) MLA's residence on December 15 last year (to target the UDF government) over the bar bribery episode," Babu told a TV channel here. The Minister, however, did not disclose who were involved in the conspiracy against the UDF government.

Babu, a close confidant of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, also said he was not "scared" of Kerala Congress (M) chief K M Mani, who yesterday claimed that the allegation against Babu in the bar bribery matter was direct, while in his case it was "hearsay".

Babu, a Congress minister, said Mani is a senior leader and he would never make any attempt to weaken the Congress-led UDF government in the state.

Babu claimed that those who have levelled bribe allegations against him have given "contradictory statements" to the probe agency Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau which exonerated him after the preliminary investigation into the case.