The Hindu : Kerala News : Opposition to boycott Kunhalikutty in Assembly

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Monday, Nov 22, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Opposition to boycott Kunhalikutty in Assembly

By Our Staff Reporter

PALAKKAD, NOV. 21. The Opposition will boycott the Industries Minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty, in the Assembly, the Leader of the Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan, has said.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said the Opposition had not put any question to the departments under Mr. Kunhalikutty in the Assembly session beginning December 1.

He reiterated his demand to oust Mr. Kunhalikutty from the Cabinet in connection with the ice-cream parlour sex scandal case. Otherwise, the Government would have to face public agitation.

H said that investigation in the case was being hampered, as was evident from the alleged attempt made by a close relative of Mr. Kunhalikutty to meet the Director General of Prosecution. As long as the Minister is in power, such interventions will take place. A just inquiry would be possible only if he was removed from the Cabinet, he said.

Kiliroor case

Mr. Achuthanandan said that the inquiry officer in the Kiliroor case was not given sanction to probe the role of VIPs allegedly involved in the sex scandal. If the telephone bills of accused Latha Nair and the late Shaari are examined, these VIPs could be caught. But the inquiry is not moving in that direction because of the involvement of influential people in the Government.

He said that in two letters sent to the Chief Minister, he had given information about the VIPs involved in the case. It was for the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, to find out the involvement of the VIPs. Instead, he is trying to pass on the responsibility to the Leader of the Opposition.

He demanded that sex scandal cases be entrusted to an office like that of the Inspector General of Police, Sibi Mathew, whose credibility and sincerity had been proven.

Compensation

Mr. Achuthanandan opposed the Government move to realise the compensation for damage of property from the organisers of the hartal. He described the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy's statement on this as "barbaric'' because agitations formed part of democratic rights.

He said that Congress leaders, who were talking about compensation now, were instrumental in organising the `liberation struggle' that threw out the first Communist Government in 1958. "Let Congress leaders like Oommen Chandy first pay compensation for damage of public and private property during the liberation struggle against the Communist Government," he said.

PAP agreement

He said the Government should discuss the renewal of sharing of waters as per the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) agreement with the Opposition before holding ministerial-level discussions with Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Achuthanandan said that instead of arguing the case of the State contained in the supplementary memorandum submitted by Kerala to Tamil Nadu in 1992, the Government was trying to raise trivial issues like the sharing of Anamalayar waters. Under no circumstances should the Anamalayar waters be given to Tamil Nadu, as that would affect the water flow in the Periyar. Since the Anamalayar was purely a Kerala river, there was no need for any agreement to share its waters with Tamil Nadu, he said.

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