NCP rejects demands for Thomas Chandy’s resignation

Thiruvananthapuram: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leadership has rejected demands from the UDF Opposition for the resignation of its minister in LDF government in the State, Thomas Chandy, who is facing flak over alleged land encroachment and reclamation of paddy field for constructing a road to a lake resort owned by him.

Talking to the media on Friday, T P Peethambaran Master, NCP national leader and the acting president of the party in the State, said there was no need for Chandy to resign from the post.

“The High Court was just making observations. Thomas Chandy is not a culprit until the accusations are proved,” Master said and hoped that “the legal advice will be in favour of the party leader.”

Meanwhile, NCP leader and former minister A K Saseendran said it was upto the government and the LDF to take a decision of Chandy’s resignation.

Chandy, the Transport Minister in the LDF government, had moved the High Court seeking action against the Alappuzha district collector, who submitted a report against his company’s alleged reclamation of paddy field for constructing a road to a lake resort.

In his petition Wednesday, Chandy alleged that all sorts of "wild and baseless" allegations were being raised against his Water World Tourism Company, targeting him "with the set agenda orchestrated" by his political rivals, interested parties and the media.

The district collector of Alappuzha also fell into their hands, Chandy submitted.

As the allegations continued, based on the "intervention" of the office of the minister for revenue, an unfair inquiry was conducted by the district collector fully discarding the principle of natural justice, Chandy submitted.

Chandy contended that he represented the Kuttanad Assembly constituency for the last 11 years consecutively and throughout his public life, he has unblemished record.

After he became a minister on April 1 this year, some interested parties have started targeting him with irrelevant allegations laced with malicious political intentions, Chandy submitted.

Chandy submitted that he filed the writ petition challenging the "arbitrary, unreasonable, biased and malicious administrative actions" taken by the district collector.

The High Court, considering a PIL Wednesday seeking registration of an FIR against Chandy, came out against the state government for its inaction against the minister for violating rules to construct the road through paddy fields.