CPI(M)’s central committee member EP Jayarajan, who had resigned as Industries minister on October 14 over charges of nepotism, has now fallen into another trap with allegations coming up that he had recommended delivery of teakwood worth several crores of rupees from the Forest Department free of cost for the renovation of a temple at his birthplace in Kannur which is being administered by a trust that allegedly has his relatives as members.
The charge against Jayarajan is that he had sent a recommendation in his letter pad as (then) Industries Minister to Forests Minister K Raju of the CPI that 1,200 cubic metres of teakwood costing a minimum of `17 crore be given free of cost to the Chuzhali Devi Temple at Irinavu for its renovation.
The teakwood allegedly sought for, with Jayarajan’s recommendation, was reportedly meant for the flag-post and other purposes at the temple in the Kallyassery constituency represented not by Jayarajan but by young Marxist MlA TV Rajesh. Jayarajan, however, said he had nothing to do with the temple and that he had only forwarded a memorandum from its committee.
The Forest Minister on Friday admitted to the media that he had received a recommendation in Jayarajan’s official letter pad as (then) Minister supporting the temple committee’s request for teakwood. He also said that the request was turned down by the officials of his department as there was no legal provision for allotting forest resources in this way.
“This had happened about two months ago. The temple committee’s request for teakwood for temple renovation was forwarded (to me) in official letter pad. It was made clear then and there that there was no provision for this. A reply was given by the department stating this,” the Forest Minister told the media on Friday.
As per reports, Forest Minister Raju, after receiving the letter forwarded by Jayarajan in his capacity as minister, sent it to the Divisional Forest Officer, Kannur, instructing him to find out whether such a huge quantity of teakwood was available in the forests under the Kannavam, Kottiyoor and Thalipparamba divisions.
The DFO then entrusted a woman official in the department with the task of finding out whether renovation was indeed going on at the Irinavu temple and she reported back in the positive. The officer also reportedly made inquiries about the availability of such a quantity of teakwood in Kannavam, the biggest forest range in Kannur district.
The Forest Range Officer came to the conclusion that teakwood of such a huge quantity was not available in the Kannavam forests and the Forest Minister was informed that rules did not allow allotting teakwood in this way. The teakwood might have been delivered to the temple if it was available and if the department had accepted the request, observers say.
Jayarajan, who confirmed writing such a letter, said, “What am I supposed to do as minister when the people of that locality which I am familiar with gives me a memorandumIJ If I have to forward it with a letter attached, should I write it in the official letter pad or on just white paperIJ There is some conspiracy behind this. I have no family temple,” he said.
The teakwood controversy is likely to make the condition of Jayarajan – who had to resign as minister over his act of appointing close relatives in key positions in several public sector units under the Industries Department and may face disciplinary action in the party over it – worse within the CPI(M).