THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even a week on since Advocate General Sudhakara Prasad gave his counsel to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the Thomas Chandy encroachment issue, the Revenue Department has been left clueless on the recommendations. This was revealed by Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan and Revenue Secretary P H Kurian.‘’I am yet to get the opinion submitted by the AG to the Chief Minister,’’ Chandrasekharan told Express. Regarding reports which said the Chief Minister had forwarded the AG’s opinion to the Chief Secretary(CS), Chandrasekharan said he was not aware of it.
On the delay in forwarding the legal opinion and whether it was proper to have sent the opinion to the CS, Chandrasekharan said all the issues had been discussed by both the parties and there was nothing unusual about it. Moreover, the decision taken by the Chief Minister on the issue was based on the legal opinion, he said. “As it was the Chief Minister who sought the opinion, the AG had given his counsel to him. If it has indeed been forwarded to the CS, I believe it will be passed on to the Revenue Secretary and reach me eventually,’’ he said.
When contacted, Kurian said he had not yet received the legal opinion.
The AG had given his opinion on November 10 pointing out the encroachment of Marthandamkayal and violation of Kerala Land Conservation Act Land and Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act. Pinarayi had sought the AG’s counsel on October 25. The Revenue Department and the CPI which from the beginning had been instrumental in seeking the AG’s opinion have now come against the delay in forwarding the recommendations to the Revenue Minister. The CPI is of the opinion the legal opinion should have been forwarded to the Revenue Minister rather than to the CS.
Chandy’s resignation had led to an open confrontation between the CPM and the CPI. Even prior to that, the Revenue Minister and the CPI were on a collision course with the Chief Minister and the CPM.
The Revenue Department as well as the CPI felt the AG had deliberately delayed giving his counsel on the raging issue, having sat on the file for a fortnight. Also, the move to seek the AG’s counsel despite the Revenue Minister recommending stringent action based on the Alappuzha Collector’s comprehensive report had sparked strong resentment. The CPI did not take kindly to the CM’s decision to seek legal advice solely on the basis of the Revenue Secretary’s recommendation.
Fissures in CPI too
T’Puram: The CPM-CPI spat over Thomas Chandy’s resignation has also brought out differences within the CPI. A day after the party leadership rejected CPM’s charges and justified the party action of skipping the Cabinet meet, senior leader K E Ismail said funds for constructing the controversial road to Thomas Chandy’s resort were sanctioned based on the party’s recommendations. Ismail reportedly indicated at party-level discussions into the matter.
He, however, said the party had informed him about the decision to boycott the Cabinet meet. “I was kept in the loop and was informed about the party decision,” he said. However, in what could be embarrassing to the leadership, Ismail, in a Facebook post, said he had sanctioned money from the MP fund for constructing the road - which later led to Thomas Chandy’s resignation - based on the recommendation of party leaders. He said money from his MP fund was sanctioned after verification by a committee consisting of the party state secretary and two state executive members.