With the opposition continuing to target Kerala Transport Minister Thomas Chandy over land grab allegations in connection with a resort owned by him, the ruling CPI-M has decided to meet on Monday to decide what needs to be done on the issue.
State CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told reporters on Wednesday that legal opinion had been sought on the issue and they were waiting for it.
The plush resort is located in the Alappuzha backwaters where the alleged violations have taken place. The Congress led-UDF and the BJP have demanded the ouster of Chandy, who is an NCP legislator.
The weekly cabinet meeting held here on Wednesday did not take up the land grab allegation issue.
Trouble increased for Chandy after a report by Alappuzha district collector T.V. Anupama submitted late last month detected violations.
While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan both inside and outside the assembly has strongly supported Chandy, the CPI, the second biggest ally of the ruling Left, including State Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekheran of the CPI, has taken a position against Chandy.
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Chandy at a political meeting on Tuesday, in the presence of State CPI secretary Kanam Rajendran, violently denied the allegations levelled against him by the Congress-led opposition and the BJP and "challenged' those against him and even stated that none can touch him.
The development has left the CPI-M red faced and the party has decided to take a call on Chandy's fate at their internal party meeting on Monday.
A peeved Rajendran told the media at Kochi on Wednesday that no one needs to have a licence to throw a challenge.
"If Chandy has violated rules, then appropriate action would be there," said Rajendran.
Senior Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran pointed out that Chandy through his "challenge" has violated the oath of secrecy that he took when he was sworn in Minister.
"He is speaking like a goon and he has now turned out to be a shame for Kerala. Time has long elapsed for Vijayan to remove him from the cabinet," said Sudheeran.
According to those in the know of things, the CPI-M is waiting for the state-wide yatra launched by the Left to end on Thursday after which the party secretariat will meet on Monday. They also expect to get the legal opinion by then, in order to take a decision on Chandy.
Chandy, a cash-rich Kuwait-based businessman, is a three-time legislator from Kuttanad in Alappuzha district. He is with the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.
The NCP has two legislators in Kerala. Chandy was sworn in on April this year after his party colleague A.K. Saseendran was caught in an alleged sleaze scandal.
--IANS
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