Mangalam CEO Ajithkumar on Thursday night appeared on air to explain that the lewd telephonic conversation of former minister AK Saseendran, which they had claimed as an exclusive, was actually obtained through a sting operation.
Saseendran has welcomed the channel’s admission. After widespread criticism on the ethics of airing such a conversation in which the voice of the complainant was edited out, the channel was forced to change its stand. Saseendran had resigned on March 26 within hours after the channel aired the audio clip. Earlier also Saseendran had held the view that what is important in the controversy is the attempt made by the media persons themselves to expose the truth.
Now that the channel has revealed that it was a sting operation, a section of his party colleagues now want him to return to the ministerial post. Saseendran is a legislator of the Nationalist Congress Party. NCP is an ally of the Left Democratic Front government headed by the CPI (M). After Saseendran's resignation, the NCP had decided to give the ministerial post to Thomas Chandy, the other MLA of the party. During the NCP meeting to announce him as the successor of Saseendran, Thomas Chandy had held the view that if it was proved that Saseendran is innocent then he could come back to his post.
The CPI (M) Secretariat meeting is being held on Friday and a discussion regarding the NCP's ministerial post is likely to be held. Meanwhile the NCP state president Uzhavoor Vijayan thanked media and the public for their support to expose the truth in the controversy. He said that there is no confusion in the party regarding the minister’s post. The national leadership and the LDF will decide on that, he added.