KM Mani resigns but Congress' troubles in Kerala are far from over

QUICK PILL

The veteran

• KM Mani has survived many political storms in his 6 decade long career

• He has been MLA 12 times and has presented 13 budgets as finance minister

The charges

• He has been accused of taking a bribe to renew bar licenses

• Mani resigned on Tuesday

More in the story

• Is the UDF government in danger?

• What are the consequences of Mani\'s resignation?

Karingozhakkal Mani Mani, the longest serving legislator in India, has survived many political storms in his six decade long political career. But he was forced to resign as Kerala's finance minister on Tuesday night. The Congress-led United Democratic Front government finally decided to shunt him out after the High Court endorsed the Vigilance Court's ruling for reinvestigation in Bar bribery case.

82-year-old Mani has been a stalwart in Kerala politics. It was in 1964 that he joined the Kerala Congress, formed by a group of Christian Congress leaders after the then Home Minister PT Chacko was forced to resign. The party was formed with the blessings of prominent Nair leader Mannathu Padmanabhan, to teach the Congress party a lesson.

READ: Is the alcohol crackdown driving Kerala's youth toward drugs?

A sworn Chacko loyalist, Mani contested the election from Pala in 1965 and won. Though the Assembly wasn't convened as no party got a majority, Mani has represented the constituency since then. He has won the seat 12 times and has presented as many as 13 budgets in the Kerala Assembly.

Mani is known for his shrewdness and has been a minister in both Left-led and Congress-led governments.

A year ago, he supposedly tried to join hands with the Left Democratic Front to try and topple the Oommen Chandy government. But he backed out of the "coup" after a few Catholic bishops intervened against the move. Later, the BJP also tried to reach out to him by offering a Union Cabinet berth for his son Jose K. Mani, the Lok Sabha MP from Kottayam.

But the bar bribery case has overshadowed his six decade long political career.

Bar bribery case

On 31 October, 2014, Biju Ramesh, a hotelier and Ezhava Youth leader alleged that Finance Minister KM Mani demanded Rs 5 crores to renew 418 licenses of the bars that were closed down on 31 March, 2014. He also alleged that the Bar-owners Association has negotiated with Mani and paid Rs. 1 crore as bribe.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala directed the vigilance department to register and investigate the allegation. Mani who also holds the law portfolio, knew that he would have to resign because of the allegations. Yet he wasn't ready to quit.

Mani's argument was that he hadn't done anything wrong and that the allegations were part of a conspiracy. He hinted that this was the handiwork of a few Congress leaders, perhaps even CM Chandy.

Mani met several church leaders and even former Supreme Court judges. Even Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam leader Vellapally Nateshan supported him.

Mani has been an MLA 12 times and has presented as many as 13 budgets in the Kerala Assembly

But John K Illikaden, Vigilance Judge in Thiruvananthapuram rejected the findings of the Vigilance Director Vinson M Paul's report favouring Mani. The judge ordered a reinvestigation of the bar bribery case and made scathing remarks against the director. The court observed that the director went out of his way to favour Mani.

The ruling was challenged by the Vigilance department in the Kerala High Court, which upheld the ruling against Mani.

His loyalists are feeling humiliated and his party is divided. He is no longer the invincible leader who can propose and dispose at will. The strongman of Pala is now vulnerable

Chandy survives, for now

With 73 legislators, CM Chandy has a wafer thin majority in the 140 member Kerala Assembly. Rebel Kerala Congress legislator PC George resigned on Tuesday. The LDF has 66 MLAs. Elections are due in Kerala in 6 months time.

Technically Mani, with 8 MLAs, can bring down the Chandy government. But it won't be that easy. The CM might just have the upper hand in the entire drama.

Ten days ago, when the Vigilance Judge ordered for a reinvestigation of the bar bribery case, Mani loyalists were confident that they could pull down the government if the CM demands his resignation.

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Chandy was aware that Mani was capable of changing political allegiances. And given the UDF's poor performance in the local body elections, Chandy realised that it was only a matter of time before his detractors try to go for his jugular.

But the High Court verdict upholding the vigilance Court order saved the CM and even helped him emerge as a giant killer.

The High Court put Mani in a situation from which there was no escape.

Apparently the CM had already been tipped off about Mani's plan to bring down the government. Chandy briefed state Congress president VM Sudheeran and senior Congress leader AK Antony about the emerging crisis. Antony in turn briefed the Congress high command, which is said to have taken the view that Mani must go.

With the party leadership behind him, the CM waited for the right moment to strike against Mani and the veteran leader walked into the trap.

Endgame for Mani

On Tuesday, Mani convened a meeting of his party's 8 MLAs and other senior leaders at his residence. Before the meeting, water resources minister and Kerala Congress working chairman PJ Thomas, convened another meeting at his residence. Two legislators - Monce Joseph and TU Kuruvilla - attended the meeting. Joseph and his loyalist legislators took a decision that Mani should resign. They also reached an understanding not to allow Mani to pull down the Chandy government.

During the meeting at his residence, Mani said that he wanted to withdraw all the Kerala Congress members from the Cabinet. He requested Joseph to resign as well, but the latter refused.

That was the first time Mani realised that his party wasn't united. Meanwhile, the UDF coordination committee decided to demand the finance minister's resignation, giving him a deadline of 24 hours.

After Mani's ouster, there are now corruption allegations against excise minister K Babu

Finally at 5 pm on Tuesday, Mani informed the CM that he is resigning. It took Mani 3 hours to prepare his one line resignation letter, which was sent to the CM at 8 pm.

Speaking to the media, Mani assured that his party would continue to support the UDF government. Mani loyalist and the party's chief whip Thomas Unniyaden also handed his resignation to CM Chandy but the latter refused to accept it

But with Mani's exit, the UDF government is going to be shaky. Hotelier Biju Ramesh has again alleged that he gave a bribe of Rs 50 Lakh to excise minister K Babu, a Chandy loyalist. He also said that he had given statement regarding the bribe to the Vigilance department but the director did not record his statement.

Now the department will have to record his statement and register a case against the excise minister.

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