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The bar bribery case involves the alleged payment of bribes to politicians and government officials by bar owners for granting licenses and permits to bars and liquor outlets.
For the Opposition, this was an opportunity to recall the CPM's public humiliation of K M Mani and, thereby, embarrass both the CPM and its new ally Kerala Congress (Mani) inside the Assembly.
The allegation was that corruption worth Rs 100 crore had taken place in connection with sanctioning of new bar licence and closure of bars during Babu's tenure as excise minister in the UDF regime.
The preliminary steps for a Vigilance probe into the Bar Bribery scam was initiated on the basis of a fresh set of allegations levelled by Biju Ramesh.
Biju Ramesh alleged that the Congress and the Left parties were playing a 'political adjustment game' in the bar bribery case and sought a probe by central agencies.
The Vigilance investigation is based on Biju Ramesh's recent disclosure that he had paid bribes to opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, former ministers V S Sivakumar and K Babu.
Chennithala, the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, contended that withdrawal of prosecution of such offences was against public interest.
Biju Ramesh's allegation that Jose K Mani offered Rs 10 crore to withdraw the bribery allegation against KM Mani can also be investigated.
Hotelier Biju Ramesh, a former office bearer of KBHA, had alleged that the bar hotel owners had collected and paid bribes to at least three prominent Congress leaders other than the then Finance Minister K M Mani to open their businesses.
The report prepared by a private investigative agency alleges that the bar bribery scam was a conspiracy hatched by the āIā group to destroy the political future of K M Mani and his party.