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Showing the door politely

With the State Committee of Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front recommending a judicial inquiry into the land deal controversy involving Public Works Minister T.U. Kuruvilla, his continuance in office has become all the more untenable. True, no cases have been filed so far, and the nature and the extent of Mr. Kuruvilla’s involvement in the reported forging of documents and encroaching on government land are still far from clear. But the political costs of re taining a Minister facing corruption charges could be high for Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who has put the fight against corruption on top of the LDF government’s agenda. The charges relate to attempts by the Minister’s children to sell Cardamom Hill Reserve and government lands, and allegations of misuse of power to obtain land documents from the revenue department. Mr. Achuthanandan cannot possibly allow this issue to be exploited by the Opposition, especially when he is carrying on a high-profile drive against encroachments in Munnar.

There is much to lose and nothing to gain by protecting Mr. Kuruvilla who belongs to the four-member Kerala Congress (Joseph). However, the LDF took some care to address the concerns of the KC(J), which has its support base among the Christian community. Mr. Achuthanandan and other leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) were keen to have Mr. Kuruvilla out of the Ministry right away, but the LDF, while recommending a judicial probe, left the issue of his resignation for the KC(J) to decide. This, of course, is no more than a face-saver for the KC(J). Only last year, KC(J) chairman P.J. Joseph had to step down from the Ministry after facing charges of sexual misconduct and Mr. Kuruvilla took his place. The decision of the LDF committee to keep out Kerala Congress (Secular) leader P.C. George, who spearheaded the campaign against Mr. Kuruvilla, is also an attempt to please the KC(J). The judicial probe and the impending resignation together should defuse the land scam controversy, which held the potential not only to damage the reputation of the LDF Government, but also to derail its resolute stand against illegal constructions and encroachments in Munnar.

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