Achuthanandan to face case politically and legally

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CPI-M veteran V.S. Achuthanandan on Thursday said he would face legally and politically the Congress-led UDF government's move to register a case against him for alleged irregularities in assigning land to one of his relatives when he was Chief Minister.

Talking to reporters here, the opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly charged the UDF government with using the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to frame 'false' cases against him.

"People of the state know me well as I am in public life for the past 40 to 50 years," Achuthanandan said reacting to the Vigilance Bureau's recommendation to register a case against him and seven others for alleged irregularities in assigning 2.33 acres to an ex-serviceman K P Soman at Sherny village in Kasargode district during the previous LDF rule.

Achuthanandan alleged that State Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, Kerala Congress (B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai and suspended IG Tomin J Thachankary were also behind the move to register the case against him.

Denying the charge, State Revenue Minister and in-charge of Vigilance Department, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said there was no political vendetta behind the move.

The Congress does not have a culture of using the Vigilance to unleash political vendetta against anybody, he added.

A vigilance probe had found fault in allotting the land and recommended registering a case against Achuthanandan and seven others, including former Revenue Minister K P Rajendran.

Official sources had said the cabinet had ordered a vigilance probe on June 1 last after it quashed the land assignment and transaction order. The land was assigned to Soman on June 10, 2010 and the order for relaxation in transaction was taken on February 2011, they said.

UDF had raised the matter in the run up to the assembly polls last year when it was in the opposition.