CM Pinarayi Vijayan announces vigilance probe into Wayanad land grab

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday offered a vigilance probe into the alleged land grab attempt in Wayanad. He made this announcement while replying to a notice for an adjournment motion in the state assembly moved by Congress leader V. D. Satheesan in the wake of the exposure of the alleged role of CPI leaders and deputy collector T. Somanathan by a Malayalam TV channel. “No corruption has taken place at the government level,” he said. “However, as the issue has come up, a vigilance investigation would be ordered.”

Revenue minister E. Chandrasekharan said the state government had yesterday suspended the deputy collector after the visuals on the TV channel purportedly showed him accepting a bribe. He also termed the charges that there was a 'nexus' between party leaders and officials for the conversion of land to facilitate its sale to private parties as baseless.  A comprehensive departmental inquiry by the land commissioner was going on. The party would examine if any lapse had occurred at the party-level and would take suitable action, he said.

Even though no transfer of land had taken place, the minister said, anyone found guilty would be punished. The sting operation carried out by the channel was a deliberate attempt to malign the CPI, the revenue department and the ruling LDF, Mr Chandrasekharan said. UDF members and the lone BJP member O. Rajagopal staged a walkout demanding a judicial probe into the alleged nexus between land mafia and CPI leaders after Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan rejected a discussion on the notice for the adjournment motion. The leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala charged the CPI with becoming a party that had 'dealings' with land mafia.