Kerala minister Thomas Chandy resigns following land grab charges

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Transport minister Thomas Chandy resigned on Wednesday, a day after the Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed Chandy's petition challenging the report of the Alapuzha district collector, which had found that large scale violations of Kerala Land Conservation Act and Conservation of Paddy land and Wetland Act had been committed by the luxury lake resort owned by Chandy.

Chandy said he did not intend to resign but Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rang him up on Wednesday morning, requesting that he immediately consult the party leadership and take a decision because a party (CPI) had kept off the weekly Cabinet meeting. 

"It is the stubborn stand of that party, which prompted me to resign. Immediately I rang up Praful Patel, who spoke to Pawarji in Delhi.... But one thing, the NCP berth in the LDF ministry will remain vacant till either of us, me or colleague AK Saseendran, returns after being cleared of charges," Chandy said.

Saseendran, the other NCP legislator, had quit the ministry in March after being "honey-trapped".       

NCP State president TP Peethambaran Master is scheduled to meet the press at 2 pm.

Chandy is the third minister to resign from the Pinarayi Vijayan ministry. CPM central committee member EP Jayarajan resigned as Industry Minister, accused of nepotism.    

On Wednesday, CM Pinarayi Vijayan has said Chandy's party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has asked for more time to decide on the issue. 

"The NCP leaders and minister have asked for more time to discuss the issue with national leadership. I cannot decline their request. They will inform me the decision after the meeting," Vijayan said.

Vijayan had come under fire from several quarters for protecting Chandy, much against the wishes of the other allies of the Left Front government.

Earlier on Wednesday, CPI, a key constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, boycotted the cabinet meeting where embattled transport minister Thomas Chandy was also likely to be present. 

Chandy’s party the NCP has said the minister will stay out of the cabinet temporarily and if he receives a positive order from Supreme Court he has to be given back the portfolio. CPI wanted immediate resignation of Chandy. 

Chandy on Wednesday morning met the chief minister at the latter's official residence. The meeting lasted for nearly 40 minutes. 

The controversy over Thomas Chandy's alleged land grab surfaced after Alappuzha District Collector TV Anupama submitted a report in August saying that portions of the Marthandam lake had been usurped for building the minister's plush Lake Palace Resort, besides a paddy field was levelled for a parking lot for the resort.

The Congress party in Kerala was put in an embarrassing spot after the party's senior Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha, a former Additional Solicitor General of India, appeared as counsel for Chandy.

Chandy had become a minister only eight months ago, following the resignation of his party colleague, AK Saseendran, from the state cabinet over the issue of an alleged sleaze talk with a woman.