Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Judicial probe to save Kuruvilla: UDF

Thiruvananthapuram: The United Democratic Front on Friday said that the proposed judicial probe against Public Works Minister T.U. Kuruvilla was a deceptive move intended to save him from criminal cases relating to misuse of power, cheating and committing fraud.

The Opposition front also made it clear that it would prevent Mr. Kuruvilla from attending the Assembly, slated to begin on September 4, if he continued as Minister.

Addressing a press conference here, UDF convener P.P. Thankachan said the Chief Minister should ask Mr. Kuruvilla to resign. The judicial probe against Kerala Congress(J) leader P.J. Joseph in an on-flight molestation case reached no where with the Government failing to frame even the terms of reference, let alone appointing a judicial officer to conduct the inquiry.

Since the District Collector’s and the Chief Secretary’s reports were available, there was no relevance for a judicial probe. The UDF convener demanded that both the reports be made public.

The Government should file a criminal case against Mr. Kuruvilla for misuse of power, cheating and committing fraud.

The Chief Minister, LDF and the CPI(M) leadership, all of whom had taken high positions on corruption, stood exposed by their reluctance to take action against Mr. Kuruvilla. They should show their sincerity by ousting Mr. Kuruvilla from the Cabinet, he said.

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