THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has responded to the allegations raised against him by former minister and CPM leader M M Mani. Soon after the verdict was pronounced in the Ancheri Baby murder case, Mani had alleged that Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan was a traitor. Thiruvanchoor has now responded to Mani’s remarks.

In 2012, Mani was named as the second accused in the Ancheri murder case following a controversy over his speech. At the time, UDF was in power and Thiruvanchoor was the home minister. Thiruvanchoor is a cheater and is settling political enmity and had preached to exclude me from Idukki, Mani said. He had also made remarks on Thiruvanchoor’s colour.

In response to the allegations, Thiruvanchoor said that Mani’s own tongue is his enemy. There is not much difference between us in terms of colour. M M Mani is a bit more ‘Krishnan’ than me. I am not ready for any criticism which is of low standard. Even the Supreme Court had upheld the stand of the then government. However, I have nothing to respond on a court verdict that came 10 years later.

We did not put the case on Mani’s head. Let the character and talent be in his hands. The case evolved from his tongue itself. Put character and talent aside, don’t mind it. Mani’s manner is to insult people whom he doesn’t like. Since its Mani who is on the other side, people will understand, Thiruvanchoor said.

The high court had the other day acquitted former minister M M Mani, CPM Idukki district leaders Kuttappan aka Pampupara Kuttan and O G Madanan in the murder case of Idukki Congress leader Ancheri Baby.

A case was registered against M M Mani and others for allegedly conspiring to murder Ancheri baby following Mani’s controversial one, two, three speech on 25 May 2012, 30 years since the murder. Mani had claimed in his speech that he had killed his rivals in the Rajakkad and Santhanpara areas in 1982. Even though M M Mani, Kuttappan and O G Madanan had approached the trial court seeking exemption from the case, the plea was rejected. Following that, they had approached the high court.

The case is that a conspiracy was plotted by Mani at the CPM Rajakkad area committee office to murder Ancheri Baby, following which Baby was murdered in a tea plantation. The prosecution had named five accused in the old case as witnesses in order to prove Mani and others’ involvement in the case. However, Justice Sunil Thomas pointed out that the discrepancy between the statements of the witnesses was detrimental to the case itself. Soon after, the case was dismissed and the accused were acquitted as it was evaluated that there was no point in continuing the trial.

M M Mani responded that he was happy with the court’s verdict and said that he got justice. The UDF is alleging that I killed a man, whom I haven’t even met in person. That is their history, he said.