Row over registration of vehicle used by Kerala Public Works Minister Riyas for roadshow
KOZHIKODE: A political and legal controversy has emerged after allegations surfaced that Public Works Minister Mohamed Riyas used a vehicle without a valid registration certificate for a roadshow in Kozhikode.
The event, which took place along the Vengalam-Ramanattukara stretch of NH 66 on Wednesday, was reportedly organised as a response to the minister’s exclusion from the official NH 66 inauguration ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP has seized on the lapse, citing it as a major breach of public safety and motor vehicle regulations.
K P Prakash Babu, the BJP Kozhikode City district president, formally sent a complaint via email to the RTO (Enforcement) to take immediate action against the violation of rules. The complaint stresses that NH 66 is a critical arterial road where thousands of vehicles transit every hour, making the operation of an uncertified vehicle particularly hazardous.
The BJP leadership further condemned the minister’s participation in the open-air demonstration, arguing that as a high-ranking person, he should have been the first to uphold road safety laws. They have demanded that the vehicle (KL 01 9069) should be taken into custody and action initiated against the minister and his team.
Providing a crucial update on the matter, a Motor Vehicles Department official confirmed that preliminary checks support the allegations regarding the vehicle’s documentation. An RTO official stated, “At present, our records show that the vehicle does not have a valid fitness certificate. The vehicle’s registration is invalid. We have directed the vehicle owner to produce the relevant records on Monday.”
As the probe continues, authorities are tasked with determining how such a lapse occurred during a ministerial event. The BJP is taking this opportunity to hit back at the LDF government which organised a parallel road inauguration ceremony when the PM was leading the official inauguration.