The Hindu : Kerala News : Kunhalikutty was ready to quit: Chandy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 30, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Kunhalikutty was ready to quit: Chandy

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, DEC. 29. The Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, said here on Wednesday that the Industries Minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty, had told him of his desire to quit the Cabinet when fresh allegations were raised against him over the ice-cream parlour case.

The Chief Minister said that he had not asked for the resignation of the Minister for the past two months because there were no legal grounds to do so. As to the moral grounds, the Minister had personally conveyed to him his willingness to quit at the beginning of the controversy itself. Mr. Kunhalikutty had only waited for his party's permission in this regard.

He was privy to this information, and as the Chief Minister, he knew the details of the inquiry that had taken place during the LDF rule and later, and there was nothing that convinced him of the Minister's guilt. "I will not repudiate anyone just because it is convenient for me to do so."

Mr. Chandy reiterated that he had taken all steps that were legally required in the ice-cream parlour case.He could not ignore the lack of legal grounds to proceed against Mr. Kunhalikutty just because the controversy affected the image of the Government, Mr. Chandy said.

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