Congress red-faced, Party MP Vivek Tankha to represent Thomas Chandy in Kerala High Court

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha will represent transport minister Thomas Chandy in the high court leaving the Congress embarrassed as they had been conducting campaigns against him.

Transport Minister Thomas Chandy

KOCHI: Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha will represent transport minister Thomas Chandy in Kerala High Court on Tuesday over his alleged involvement in encroachment of government land. 

The office of the advocate representing Chandy in HC confirmed that Tankha was engaged in this case and will appear in the case to be considered this Tuesday. 

Tankha has reportedly reached Kochi for the hearing on Tuesday. 

The new development has put the Congress state unit in an embarrassing situation as the opposition party has been relentlessly conducting campaigns against the tainted minister alleging that he had encroached government land. 

One of the main issues highlighting in 'Padayorukkam', the ongoing rally leading by Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala is Chandy's issue. 

State Congress leaders have hit out against Vivek Tankha's move. On Monday, Youth Congress held a march to the Kerala Chief Minister's residence demanding the ouster of minister Thomas Chandy. 

Chennithala said he would request Mukul Vasnik, AICC General Secretary in charge of the state, to ask Vivek Tankha not to appear. 

 

Former KPCC president V M Sudheeran said Vivek Tankha should have shown the political propriety not to be on the wrong side of an issue over which the party is waging a pitched battle.

Vivek Tankha, a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, was one of the youngest Advocate Generals of Madhya Pradesh and was designated Senior Advocate by the Full Court of the High Court in 1999. He was also the first lawyer from Madhya Pradesh to have been appointed Additional Solicitor General of India.

 

Earlier, another row had snowballed when Congress spokesperson and senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi appeared for Santiago Martin against the Congress-led state government in the lottery case. Congress High Command had removed Singhvi from the post of spokesperson following the stiff opposition from state leaders.