Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 15 (PTI) Kerala TransportMinister Thomas Chandy, who is facing encroachmentallegations, today resigned from the CPI(M)-led LDF governmentheaded by Pinarayi Vijayan.
The resignation comes a day after the Kerala High Courtdismissed Chandy's petition challenging a report of theAlappuzha district collector on alleged encroachments by acompany in which he has stake.
This is the third minister in the Vijayan cabinet toresign after the LDF government came to power in May 2016.
Earlier, A K Saseendran of the NCP had resigned after asleaze audio clip with a woman went viral and E P Jayarajan(CPI-M) quit on nepotism charges.
Chandy, a three-time MLA of the Nationalist CongressParty (NCP), had been inducted into the cabinet 8 months agofollowing the resignation of A K Saseendran.
NCP had only two MLAs.
The resignation letter was handed over to the chiefminister by NCP state President, T P Peethambaran Master,after consulting the matter with party's national leadership.
Chandy, who left for Alappuzha, after attending thecabinet meeting, told a Malayalam television channel thateven though the chief minister did not seek his resignationand there were no circumstances for the same, a coalitionpartner's (CPI) "adamant" stand made the chief minister to askhim to "rethink.""The chief minister said we are not asking you to resign,but take a decision after consulting with your leadership,"Chandy said.
Earlier, talking to reporters after cabinet meeting,Vijayan said the issue had been left to the NCP's nationalleadership.
A businessman-turned politician, Chandy, had been facingheat since the past few days as allegations surfaced that hiscompany had violated rules to construct a parking area and aroad through a paddy field to his Lake Palace resort inAlappuzha district.
Alappuzha District Collector, T V Anupama had in herreport to the state government stated that large scaleviolations of Kerala land conservation Act and Conservation ofPaddy land and Wetland Act had been committed by the resort.
The Kerala High Court had observed that it was "extremelyimproper" for a minister to file a petition against his owngovernment.
There was a violation of the collective cabinetresponsibility by the minister, it had held.
Opposition Congress-led UDF and BJP had been on a warpathsince the past one month demanding Chandy's resignation overthe encroachment allegations. PTI JRK UD ROHDV.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.