By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Marxist leader V.S. Achuthanandan Friday said he will return an LCD television gifted to him by the Kerala Agriculture Minister K.P. Mohanan.
“The state is facing severe drought and at this juncture I feel a TV is not needed. I am returning it,” said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader in a letter to the minister.
The media has opposed the decision of Mohanan to gift LCD TVs to 141 legislators and 10 government officials.
Kerala is facing an acute shortage of water owing to the failure of summer rains.
While Achuthanandan has decided to return the TV, his party colleague Kodiyeri Balakrishnan held a different view. “The previous Left government also gave gifts like this,” he said.
Assembly Speaker G. Karthikeyan too said it was a common practice for ministers to give gifts to legislators.
“The gift was planned some time back and it should not be mixed with the issue of drought,” Mohanan said.