The allegation by ‘solar scam’ accused Sarita S Nair that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had sex with her at his official residence three years ago has failed to generate the expected sound and fury, as the political class as well as the usually hyperactive visual media used caution.

A TV channel on Sunday showed pages of a long letter, purported to have been written by Saritha to Chandy in July 2013 while she was in police custody in connection with the solar panel scandal.

In the letter, Saritha makes references to Chandy having sex with her at the Chief Minister’s residence at Thiruvananathapuram, where she claims she was a regular visitor. She also claims that she had paid over ₹2 crore in bribes to his aides on his behalf to get government favours for her solar-panel company.

Call for bar The media underplayed the allegation while Opposition politicians made only restrained comments.

Senior CPI(M) leader VS Achuthanandan, however, said in a statement that Chandy had brought disgrace to the entire State and that he and other ministers involved in the scam should not be allowed to contest the Assembly election. An unperturbed Chandy rubbished Saritha’s letter as a conspiracy aimed to check his government from returning to power. Anybody could see that, he said, the exposure of the purported letter was perfectly timed to harm him and his party in the Assembly election. He also said that ‘the lady’ had earlier referred to him as a ‘father-like’ figure. She had not produced the letter before the solar scam enquiry commission.

Chandy also hinted that the big-money bosses of liquor bars who had lost heavily because of his decision to close down all bars and the Opposition parties were behind the conspiracy.

On Monday, the Kerala High Court rejected a petition by Saritha, who had sought an investigation by the CBI into all the allegations she had made. The court said she lacked credibility and that she was an accused in 31 criminal cases.

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