Land deals: Kerala Oppn demands criminal case against Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 31 (UNI) The Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) today demanded initiating criminal case against Kerala Public Works Minister T U Kuruvila, who is allegedly involved in murky land deals, and stressed that the Minister would not be allowed to take part in the coming Assembly session, beginning on September 4.

''Criminal charges should be framed against Mr Kuruvila based on the reports of the Idukki district Collector and the Chief Secretary,'' UDF Convenor P P Thankachan told reporters here after the Front meeting.

He demanded that the reports of the Collector and Chief Secretary be publicised so that the truth is unveiled.

Mr Thankachan alleged that the Left Democratic Front's demand for a judicial inquiry was only to help the Minister escape from criminal proceedings on the basis of the two reports and mislead the people.

Even a judicial inquiry into Kerala Congress (Joseph) Chairman P J Joseph's alleged misbehaviour with a co-passenger onboard an aircraft had reached nowhere, he noted adding that its Terms of Reference were yet to be decided even after year. The High Court had said it could not spare a judge and even retired High Court judges were hard to find. ''In this context, a judicial inquiry is only a way to delay the case against Mr Kuruvila,'' he said.

It should also be noted that the LDF had demanded a judicial inquiry after discussing the reports and found that it was a strong case to be investigated, Mr Thankachan said.

Lashing out at Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan for his remarks against land mafia and corruption, he said Mr Achuthanandan was just making such statements and keeping silent when the issues were brought to the fore. He should have asked Mr Kuruvila to resign after the reports, which had named him and his family in the land deals, he said.

The UDF also demanded scrapping the Abkari policy and formulating a new one in the wake of spurious liquor tragedies. He wanted booking of those involved in Abkari case under the Goondas act.

UNI