Brittas called me, wanted to end the strike through a compromise: Thiruvanchoor, Thiruvanchoor, John Mundakkayam, John Brittas, Secretariat siege

Brittas called me, wanted to end the strike through a compromise: Thiruvanchoor

17 May 2024, 06:02 PM IST

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John Brittas, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan

Thrissur: Adding his bit to the ongoing political storm in connection with the secretariat blockade of CPM regarding the solar scam, former Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakarishnan has said that John Brittas had called him to end the strike by hatching a compromise formula. While speaking to reporters at Thrissur on Friday, Thiruvanchoor said that Brittas had called him from the phone of Cherian Philip who was working with Kairali channel, then. “It was my responsibility to end the strike”, Thiruvanchoor said.

“Brittas had talked with me. But, it is quite unbecoming for a gentle politician to reveal about the contents of the discussion and the events that followed after the discussion. What they had demanded was the resignation of Chief MInister Oommen Chandy. We had taken a stand that this could not be accepted. But, we had no objection to go on with a judicial probe”, said Thiruvanchoor.

“After the strike was over, nobody cared to discuss this. There is no controversy in the revelations of John MUndakkayam. This was not at all a subject for discussion till he wrote the story. When a strike was there against the government we thought about handling the issue effectively, which we did. The strike ended as we wished” he said.

“It was an extraordinary strike which had put curbs on the daily life of common people of Thiruvananthapuram town. It was my responsibility to end the strike. They too wanted to end the strike through a compromise. It was the common interest of both the government and opposition to end the strike”, Thiruvanchoor said.

“The government had not bowed before anybody. What we had said was the government was ready to announce a judicial probe. The only bone of contention was whether it should be done by a sitting judge or a retired judge. Since, High Court had refused to appoint a sitting judge, the government proceeded with the decision to announce a judicial probe under a retired judge”, he said.

Earlier, John Brittas had said that it was Thiruvanchoor who had approached him with the offer of any sort of compromise to end the strike. Brittas said that, John Mundakkayam might be following the script prepared by Thiruvanchoor. “Thiruvanchoor had said that the government is ready to do any sort of compromise and he also had promised that they would accept the demands of the opposition”, Thiruvanchoor said.

The controversy erupted following the revelations of senior journalist John Mundakkayam as he said in his story in a malayalam weekly that John Brittas, head of Kairali channel and the trusted lieutenant of Pinarayi Vijayan, the then state secretary of CPM, had intervened on behalf of the party to end the secretariat siege organised by CPM demanding the resignation of chief minister Oommen Chandy in connection with the solar scam.