CPI boycotts Kerala cabinet meeting over Thomas Chandy

The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Wednesday boycotted the weekly Kerala Cabinet meeting to protest Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's non-intervention in transport minister Thomas Chandy's land encroachment case.

The parties want Chandy to resign from his post in wake of the ongoing case.

Chandy has been alleged to have got a road constructed through government-owned land and levelled water bodies to facilitate easier access to his Lake Palace Resort located near the Punamada Lake in Kerala.

Vijayan, however, on his part, said the cabinet did not discuss Chandy's issue, adding that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state president TP Peethambaran Master and Chandy had met and told him that they would get back to him after discussing the issue with the NCP national leadership.

"The Cabinet didn't discuss Thomas Chandy's issue. Today I had discussion with him and NCP's TP Peethambaran. The NCP will discuss it with their central leaders and inform their decision," Vijayan said, in a press conference.

The chief minister, confirming that the CPI ministers did not attend the cabinet meeting, said, "Minister Chandrasekharan has a letter that it was their party's decision to not attend the cabinet meeting, which Thomas Chandy is attending."

He also said that Thomas Chandy had the right to attend the meeting.

Vijayan had earlier said the government would take an appropriate decision after considering the High Court's observation in the land encroachment case involving Thomas Chandy.

The Kerala High Court yesterday rejected Chandy's plea in connection with the case.

Earlier on November 8, the High Court had pulled up the state government and asked whether it would take the same stand 'if the encroachment was done by a common man'.

Also, a Kottayam vigilance court had ordered verification of the land encroachment allegations filed against Chandy.