By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala assembly witnessed chaotic scenes Thursday as the opposition again raised the issue of the controversial land purchased by the Indian Space Research Institute (ISRO) for setting up an institute.
Former minister and Congress leader K.C. Venugopal sought leave to move an adjournment motion to discuss the alleged attack on state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala during his visit to the controversial land in Ponmudi Wednesday.
Replying to the leave for the motion, Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that since the police did not get any complaint, no case has been registered.
Balakrishnan’s reply sparked protests and soon a probe was ordered into the alleged attack on Chennithala.
The treasury benches protested when leader of opposition Oommen Chandy again raised the land deal issue. The situation went out of control as angry opposition members trooped into the well of the house demanding resignation of Forest Minister Benoy Viswom. They also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“ISRO had written a letter to Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran on Dec 22 last year demanding 100 acres of land at a nominal cost to set up the institute. But they were told that the government did not have any land,” Chandy later told reporters.
“The West Bengal government then came up with an offer to ISRO that they would give 300 acres of land free of cost. The ISRO director wrote to chief minister Achuthanandan on May 22 stating that they should be given speedy approval for the land they had bought from (Mano) Mathew. Achuthanandan forwarded the letter to Viswom,” he said.
“The entire deal is shrouded in conspiracy and Viswom should resign and a CBI inquiry be announced. We are waiting for the outcome of the meeting called by Achuthanandan later today,” the former chief minister said.
The opposition claims that the land sold to ISRO for their space education institute by one Savy Mano Mathew is a government owned land.