Bouquets and brickbats were on view, though not in equal measure, as Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy returned to the State capital on Saturday morning after receiving the United Nations Public Service Award for 2013 at a glittering function held in Bahrain on Thursday.
Hundreds of Congress-Youth Congress-Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists accorded a rousing reception to Mr. Chandy as he stepped out of the domestic terminal of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport around 11 a.m.
The Chief Minister had a tough time moving towards his waiting car as a surging crowd of slogan-shouting Congress workers jostled to get close to him. At one point, the Chief Minister almost missed a step and had to be held by his security guards.
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Outside the airport, DYFI and Yuva Morcha activists waved black flags at three places as the Chief Minister’s car passed by, and demanded his resignation. Police had to use mild force to restrain the youth activists at all the three places and remove them.
Mr. Chandy’s convoy had to take a detour to reach the State Secretariat. The Chief Minister, who had reached Kochi earlier in the morning, had faced a similar reception from the Opposition youth activists at Aluva.
Speaking to reporters at Aluva, Mr. Chandy said there was no question of the Government interfering in the ongoing investigation into the ‘solar scam’, in connection with which his former personal assistant and constant companion,Tenny Joppan, was arrested by the police on Friday.
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Mr. Chandy pointed out that he had sought a report from the Intelligence wing of the State Police immediately after the alleged scam came to light. When the initial report was found unsatisfactory, he had sought a second report.
He would not shield anyone. Nor would he try to evade responsibility by placing the blame on any innocent person, Mr. Chandy asserted.