By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala Thursday ruled out a probe into the controversial purchase of land by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Ponmudi in the state’s Thiruvananthapuram district.
“Since there is nothing shady in the deal, we decided that there need not be any probe into the entire event,” LDF convenor Vaikom Viswom told reporters here.
“We have decided that from Oct 1 to 10, the LDF would run a campaign across the state to let the people of Kerala know that the opposition is trying to create a smokescreen out of nothing,” said Viswom.
ISRO purchased 82 acres of forestland in Ponmudi, 75 km from here, from high-profile businessman Savy Mano Mathew to set up a space education institute.
The opposition maintains that the land belongs to the forest department and was sold in connivance with Minister Viswom.
Mathew is the LDF government’s nominee in one of the state-run corporations.
Earlier in the day, the Kerala assembly adjourned sine die, the last day of the current session, after the Congress-led opposition stalled the proceedings by squatting in the well of the house from the start of question hour.
The opposition has been up in arms since the start of the session early this month, demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the controversial land deal.
For the last four days, five legislators belonging to five allies of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) have been on an indefinite fast in the foyer of the assembly. The fast was called off Thursday.
“The first phase of the protest by us is over and since the assembly has been adjourned, the ongoing fast has been called off. We are going to launch a series of protests across the state,” said leader of opposition Oommen Chandy.
Ever since the controversy erupted, Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan has been criticizing the Congress, saying that it helped Mathew usurp forestland through a bill it piloted in 2005, when it was in power.
“This is a ploy by the opposition to raise a non-issue. And they are doing this because they smell an early general election and wish to use this against us. You wait and see. We will bring out the truth,” Achuthanandan told reporters Wednesday night.
The Kerala government had Tuesday suspended a top forest department official, transferred two and ordered an inquiry into the role of five other officials reportedly involved in the deal.
Meanwhile, a special vigilance court here Thursday accepted a petition against the sale of forestland by Mathew and posted the case for hearing next Wednesday.
The Kerala chapter of the Indian Lawyers Congress had filed a petition against the sale.
Interestingly, both Achuthanandan and Chandy have been named witnesses in the case.
The Communist Party of India (CPI), to which Viswom belongs, is in a quandary because this is the first time it has been caught in a corruption scandal.
Fissures have also developed within the LDF. Kerala Congress (Joseph), an ally, is cut up with both the communist parties after they failed to defend its nominee in the cabinet T.U. Kuruvilla, who was forced to quit following another land scam.
Kuruvilla quit the cabinet a few hours before the present session of the assembly began.