Cong MP faces workers' ire over decision to appear for Chandy

Kochi, Nov 14 (PTI) Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankhatoday faced the ire of Youth Congress workers as they staged aprotest here against the seni...

Kochi, Nov 14 (PTI) Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankhatoday faced the ire of Youth Congress workers as they staged aprotest here against the senior Supreme Court lawyer'sdecision to defend Kerala's beleaguered minister Thomas Chandyin the encroachment case in the Kerala High Court.

A group of Youth Congress workers raised slogans andwaved black flags at Tankha as he stepped out of a posh hotelhere to proceed to the High Court, police said.

A small group of Youth Congress workers were detained forallegedly trying to stop his car at the hotel gate, they said.

Congress leaders including former PCC Chief V M Sudheeranand Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly RameshChennithala have expressed their displeasure over the MadhyaPradesh MP's decision to defend Chandy, an NCP nominee in theCPI(M)-led LDF government.

Chennithala said they had come to know of Tankha'sdecision to appear for Chandy only yesterday and immediatelyAICC General secretary in charge of Kerala, Mukul Wasnik, wasinformed.

Sudheeran attacked Tankha, saying his appearance forChandy was an "insult" to the UDF.

Tankha, who arrived here last evening, however maintainedthat he was appearing on behalf of Chandy in court in hisprofessional capacity as a lawyer.  In a tweet, the MP said, "In Cochin t argue a matter fold friend n professional capacity f lawyer.. Rare instance ofa Minister compelled t challenge a dist Col order." A meeting of the Nationalist Congress Party's stateexecutive committee will be held here today amid mountingpressure on Transport Minister Thomas Chandy to quit overallegations of land encroachments by his lake resort inAlappuzha district.

The opposition Congress-led UDF and the BJP have beendemanding the resignation of Chandy over allegations of landencroachment. PTI TGB UD ROHDV.

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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