I will not attend any UDF meetings, says Pillai

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even after being given a long rope by the Congress-led UDF to mend his ways, senior UDF leader R Balakrishna Pillai showed no restraint Thursday and continued to hit back.

The UDF leaders under Chief Minister Oommen Chandy met Wednesday night and expressed their displeasure in the conduct of Pillai but decided to give him, yet another chance while asking him to behave himself and work for the good of the ruling UDF, of which his party- Kerala Congress (Pillai) is an ally.

But Thursday morning, Pillai told reporters that he has done no wrong and hence he need not correct himself.

"Since me and my party was being ignored for the past four years, it's the UDF leadership which should correct first and then tell us to mend our ways. I have done no wrong and I do not intend to go out of the UDF. But I will not attend any UDF meetings," said a defiant Pillai.

The UDF for the past few days has been cut up with Pillai and decided not to invite him to Wednesday's meeting after an audio conversation between him and whistle blower bar owner Biju Ramesh came out in the open last week.

In it Pillai is heard telling Ramesh that he should go ahead by filing a case in the Kerala High Court for a CBI probe into the bar graft allegation levelled by the former in October that Finance Minister K M Mani was given Rs1 crore as the first instalment of the Rs.5 crore he demanded to help reopen bars in the state.

"I have told him (Chandy) about the corruption allegations of a few minister's in his cabinet, even before Ramesh came out with his statements. But Chandy ignored me. Am now happy that even V S Achuthanandan has appreciated me in my tirades against corruption," said Pillai.

Pillai's has just one legislator, his son K B Ganesh Kumar who is also unhappy with the UDF, as he has not been taken back to the cabinet after he resigned two years back following a domestic issue with his then wife.

He has also been booted out of the UDF meetings after he last December went hammer and tongs against his former cabinet colleague and on the floor of the Kerala assembly raised allegations of corruption.

Reacting to the new developments of Pillai again hitting back at the UDF, Chandy told reporters that he has not heard anything and hence he cannot comment on Pillai's statements.