Trouble is brewing for Kerala’s seven-month-old CPI(M)-led lDF Government as a Vigilance inquiry has been ordered against Fisheries and Cashew Industry Minister J Mercykutty Amma of the CPI(M) over an allegation of corruption to the tune of `10.34-crore in the import of raw cashew nuts.
Jacob Thomas, Director, Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), on Monday ordered a quick verification against Mercykutty Amma and her husband B Thulaseedhara Kurup on the basis of a complaint lodged by P Raheem, a lawyer, over the allegation of corruption that had come up in the Kerala Assembly earlier.
As per the complaint, there was corruption in the import of cashew nuts directly by the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (CDC) by avoiding companies that had quoted low prices. The complainant said that the Government had suffered huge losses due to the imports made during the Onam season.
Corruption to the tune of a total of `10.34 crore had been alleged against the Minister and others in the import of cashew nuts through four tenders cleared through the CDC and two cleared by the Cashew Workers Apex Industrial Cooperative Society (Capex). The Minister’s husband is a former chairman of Capex.
State Congress vice-president VD Satheesan had leveled corruption allegation in this regard against Mercykutty Amma in the Assembly in October and this had led to a fierce war of words between the two in the House. The Minister had then rejected the allegation as baseless and said that she would step down if the charge was proved.
“I welcome the quick verification. It is the job of the VACB to hold inquiry when it receives a complaint. let the inquiry take place,” she said on Monday. The quick verification will be carried out by R Sukesan, Superintendent of Police (Vigilance), who had probed the bar bribery charge against former Finance minister KM Mani.
Complainant Raheem had approached the Special Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram with a petition citing that the VACB was delaying action on his complaint against the Minister. The Vigilance Director ordered the quick verification on Monday as the court was scheduled to pass its order on the petition on Tuesday.
State Congress president VM Sudheeran said he expected a fair and impartial inquiry to take place. “let the lDF decide whether Mercykutty Amma should resign in the context of the inquiry. The lDF had been quick in demanding resignation of ministers in the previous UDF government when probes were ordered against them,” he said.