The Hindu : Front Page : Public Works Minister’s fate hangs in the balance

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Friday, Aug 24, 2007
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Public Works Minister’s fate hangs in the balance

C. Gouridasan Nair

Kuruvilla meets Achuthanandan, Pinarayi in New Delhi

Public Works Minister T.U. Kuruvilla has refuted allegations against him.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Public Works Minister T. U. Kuruvilla’s fate hangs in balance with evidence mounting against his family members in connection with an alleged illegal land deal at Munnar in Idukki district.

The Minister has stoutly denied any wrong doing on his part and contended that if there was anything wrong in the land deal, it is not him but his children who should be held responsible. The Minister’s contentions have not convinced many in the ruling LDF, particularly Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan.

Mr. Kuruvilla had called on the Chief Minister in New Delhi and had a brief meeting with him. He had also had a meeting with CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, who also is in Delhi to attend the CPI(M) Central Committee meeting. Mr. Kuruvilla has since returned to Kerala. Mr. Achuthanandan is also reaching the State on Friday to attend the Cabinet meeting slated for 3 p.m. Kerala Congress (J) chairman P.J. Joseph has publicly rebutted all the charges against the Minister, but a meeting of the KC(J) is expected to be held here on Friday morning to take stock of the situation. Some LDF leaders have already advised Mr. Joseph not to prolong the crisis and bring disrepute to the alliance, but the KC(J) chairman has taken the position that his party would decide one way or the other only after assessing all the facts. The allegation against the Minister’s family members is that they tried to sell 50.52 acres of land in Munnar to an NRI businessman for Rs.10 crore, had taken Rs.6.75 crore as advance and failed to execute the deal.

Idukki District Collector Raju Narayanaswamy had examined all the relevant documents at the instance of Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran and is reported to have found several irregularities in the attempted deal. The District Collector’s report is likely to be placed before the Cabinet if and when the issue comes up for discussion. The moot question is whether the Cabinet would choose to go by the District Collector’s report or whether it would opt for a higher level examination of the facts of the case or whether the collective resolve of the alliance would be to ask the Minister to step down.

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