Amid the political firestorm in Kerala over ruling coalition partner K M Mani’s alleged role in the bar bribery case, charges of payoffs against a minister from Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s Congress party were swept under the carpet. And this, despite the allegation against Excise Minister K Babu of accepting a bribe of Rs 10 crore to renew bar licences, by Biju Ramesh, the same liquor tycoon whose charges against Mani — that he was paid Rs 1 crore — led to an FIR and two probes by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. While Mani quit on Tuesday following adverse court remarks, Babu, who directly oversees the state’s liquor industry, was given a clean chit by the Vigilance bureau. The...
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