Bengaluru: The Kerala government is under pressure from within and outside the cabinet to act against its wealthiest member, state transport minister Thomas Chandy, over allegations of environmental norms violations and land encroachment.
Chandy, who has declared assets worth Rs92.37 crore, is the richest legislator in Kerala. He is one of two legislators of the Kerala wing of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), an ally of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM.
The allegations against Chandy have figured in the regional media for months, but things came to a head after the state’s revenue department filed a probe report on the matter on Saturday. The probe found that a lake-side resort run by him in a pristine location in Alappuzha district may have potentially violated environmental laws and encroached upon government land, among other illegalities —in the process of reclaiming a portion of the lake, 0.64 acres, for setting up a parking lot.
Chandy moved a contempt of court petition against the official probe report in high court on Tuesday, arguing the report demeans the court as the matter is sub-judice.
The allegations first surfaced when a regional news channel did an investigative story on the resort land, which was followed by a right to information activist filing a petition in the high court in May. Chandy had refuted all allegations in a state assembly session in September, where he said that he will resign his ministership if anyone can prove he has violated laws.
The particular lake site is worth crores of rupees, reported news channel NDTV, and is an ecologically sensitive zone as it is a protected water body under a global treaty, the Ramsar Convention. During the probe, the documents pertaining to the resort had gone missing from the local revenue offices, which raised suspicions of foul play.
Based on the report, the second biggest member of the Left government, the Communist Party of India (CPI), turned against Chandy. Revenue minister and CPI leader E. Chandrashekaran met chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday, suggesting he take strong action against Chandy.
Vijayan has been strongly backing Chandy, calling the allegations politically motivated. The cabinet which met on Wednesday decided to opt for legal counsel before proceeding on the report, citing a court case pending before Kerala high court on the matter.
Chandy is the third minister to have come under a cloud of allegations in the nearly 16-month old Vijayan’s cabinet. The two others had to step down soon after they were accused of misconducts. While E.P. Jayarajan, minister for industries and sports, had to leave because of nepotism charges last year, A.K. Saseendran, minister for transport, quit following allegations of sexual misconduct in April.
Chandy was inducted into the cabinet as a replacement for Saseendran.
The opposition Congress has also stepped up the demand for his resignation following the probe report. On Tuesday, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said Chandy has no right to continue as a minister.
A CPI leader, requesting not to be named, said that his party has strong reservations against Chandy but understands the government is walking a tightrope in this case because Vijayan has already sent two ministers packing in a short time. But a decision may have to be taken soon, he said, given growing outrage in both the media and the opposition.
Chandy did not respond to calls to his cell phone number for a comment.