The State leadership of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has thrown its weight behind its Minister Thomas Chandy who is smarting under allegations of encroachment of government land and backwaters.
Party State president T.P. Peethambaran on Friday said there was no need for the Minister to resign in the face of the charges, as “there’s nothing substantial by way of documentary evidence or corroborative facts to prove the allegations. Nothing warrants his resignation right now.”
"Advice won't be against him"
Mr. Peethambaran did not think that the legal advice of the Advocate General would be against the Minister. “He had explained his position to the Chief Minister [Pinarayi Vijayan]. And it is wrong to say that the CPI(M) has taken a stance against him. While there has been no communication between the CPI(M) and the NCP on the issue, I believe they [CPI(M)] are also waiting for the legal advice,” Mr. Peethambaran said.
He sought to downplay the strong words of the High Court the other day against Mr. Chandy, saying it would be prudent to wait for the final verdict before jumping to needless conclusions. “The Minister has not done any wrongdoing. The approach road [to the resort owned by Mr. Chandy], for instance, was constructed by the district administration using public funds.”