Pressure Tells on KM Mani: Kerala Finance Minister Finally Resigns

Kerala Finance Minister MK Mani resigns, followed by Congress leader Thomas Unniyadan.

Kerala Finance Minister KM Mani announces resignation. (Photo: PTI)

A defiant Kerala Finance Minister KM Mani announced his resignation from the cabinet on Tuesday night after an FIR was filed against him in the bar bribery case.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had demanded his resignation. KM Mani is the chief of Kerala Congress (M), the third largest partner in the Congress-led UDF in Kerala.

The minister had earlier threatened to pull his party out of the UDF if he was made to resign, according to earlier reports. However, he has now pledged continued support to the alliance.

Kerala Congress chief whip, Thomas Unniyadan, has also submitted his resignation.

The resignation came a day after the Kerala High Court upheld a Vigilance Court order for further investigations in the bar bribery case, which involves 82-year-old Mani.

Chief Minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy, accepting Mani’s resignation, denied that any pressure had been exerted by the UDF.

Since the bar bribery case came up, UDF’s stand was that Mani had not done anything wrong. We still stand by it. The decision to resign was that of Mani in the wake of court observations. The High Court has not said that Mani was guilty. But still upholding high political and democratic values, he decided on his own free will to resign. We did not seek his resignation.

Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala

(With inputs from PTI)