Case against Togadia was withdrawn as per Marad deal, says Chandy

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday said the case against VHP leader Praveen Togadia was withdrawn as part of a Marad peace deal.

“The action was taken after reviewing the legal procedures. There is no need to make controversy on the matter,” Chandy told reporters here.

The Oommen Chandy government’s decision to withdraw the case registered against Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia for his speech in Kozhikode on July 8, 2003 has sparked a controversy in the state.

While responding to the news reports on the government’s decision to withdraw the case against the VHP leader, Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan Friday had said the decision had once again brought to the fore the communal appeasement policy of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and the Congress.

“Chandy had withdrawn the case against Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers who had tried to ‘kill’ a police constable recently. The decision to withdraw the case against Togadia was in continuation of the same policy. The decision had torn apart the secular facade of Chandy and the Congress,” Achuthanandan said.