Amidst the clamour for Kerala Finance Minister KM Mani's resignation over the bar bribery scandal, state MLA PC George on Tuesday resigned and said Mani should follow suit.
However, Mani's party Kerala Congress (M) said it saw no reason for its leader to step down, a day after high court cleared the decks for further investigation against him in the case.
In a startling claim, party leader and government chief whip Thomas Unniyadan said that the Kerala High Court order on Monday was, in fact, not against Mani but in his favour as the Vigilance Court observations against the state finance minister had been expunged.
Referring to the calls in various quarters for Mani to step down, including demands within Congress itself, he countered that "no one had asked Mani to resign". Asked if Kerala Congress (M) was divided over the issue, Unniyadan said the party was united and "solidly" behind its leader.
The KC(M) stand has pushed UDF into yet another crisis, days after its civic poll drubbing and in light of the high court's adverse remarks against Mani on Monday, as the coalition is bracing for Assembly elections in 2016 in the state.
(With inputs from PTI)
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