Thomas Chandy had earlier challenged that he will fill more low lying land while participating in a march organized by CPI, with Kanam Rajendran as the leader: File photoThiruvananthapuram: Responding to the CPM that announced its decision to withdraw support to the embattled NCP minister Thomas Chandy, handling the transport portfolio in the Kerala cabinet, NCP state president T P Peethambaran said that he did not expect the advocate general's legal opinion to be against Chandy.
The state leader also said that the party believed there was no wrongdoing on the part of the minister, accused of land grab.
He added that the court's observations must be ignored for the while and one should wait for the final orders to come.
Peethambaran also told Manorama News that Thomas Chandy needn't buckle under pressure and has already met the chief minister to explain his version of the case.
It has also been reported that after the CPI-CPM meeting, message has been sent to NCP to clarify its stand on the issue of resignation of the minister.
CPM announces it will not support Chandy
Thomas Chandy, the lone NCP minister in the ruling left government in Kerala, has become a hot potato for the CPM and CPI following serious allegations of land grab by him for building a road and a parking slot for his Lake Palace resort in Alappuzha distrcit.
With the opposition mounting pressure on the government, the main ruling party in the Left Democratic Front, CPM, has also made its intentions clear on Friday by washing its hands of the issue.
Leaving nothing to imagination, the CPM on Friday issued a statement saying that the minister need not expect any support from the party if the advocate general's legal opinion in the case is against him.
The minister's resort and his adventure sports company had been accused of land grab and illegal land filing by Alappuzha collector T V Anupama. However, he has also moved the high court against the collector for making false allegations against him in the report at the behest of his political rivals.
This move by the minister has apparently not gone down well with the CPM as an LDF minister himself moving the HC against a district collector under the same government is something the left front is unable to digest.
LDF partner CPI had earlier declared that it won't support the minister if the legal opinion is against him.
The NCP minister was roped in to the ministry after his colleague Saseendran resigned following a phone sex scandal in March this year.
Rumours were rife in the political circles on Friday that following the CPM's stand on not backing the minister if the legal opinion is against him may force the embattled minister to put in his papers.
The story in points:
• CPM will not support Thomas Chandy if legal advise is against him.
• Will not demand resignation, NCP should rise to the occasion and the minister must submit a resignation
• Friday meeting of CPM will decide on the matter
• Solar commission bonus points negated by the Chandy land grab issue
• Kodieyri Balakrishnan earlier inkled CPM will not back the embattled minitser if the AG's legal opinion is against the NCP minister
• District collector TV Anupama's scathing report on the details of the land grab came as a big blow to the minister
• Thomas Chandy had earlier announced he will fill more low lying land while participating in a march organized by CPI, with Kanam Rajendran as the leader.
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