UDF, LDF back Chennithala’s move on Gyanesh Kumar Vigilance probe: What is the KSTP row?
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has forwarded a petition alleging irregularities and corruption involving Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during his tenure as the state's Public Works Department (PWD) Secretary in 2006 to the Vigilance Director for inquiry.
The move has received support from both the ruling UDF and opposition LDF, with leaders calling for a comprehensive examination of the allegations, including the circumstances surrounding the death of Malaysian engineer Lee See Been, who was associated with a Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) road project.
Chennithala said he could not remain a "mute spectator" to the allegations. He said a petition submitted by Congress activist Malayinkeezhu Venugopal raised serious allegations regarding Kumar's tenure as PWD Secretary.
The minister also referred to the suicide of Lee, whose alleged suicide note reportedly mentioned Kumar, who was PWD Secretary at the time.
The Home Department has also sought files relating to a preliminary Vigilance inquiry conducted in 2006. The fresh examination is expected to look into the allegations as well as claims of external influence in the earlier proceedings.
What is the KSTP controversy?
In 2006, the Kerala State Transport Project undertook a World Bank-funded project worth around Rs 215 crore to reconstruct the MC Road between Angamaly and Thiruvananthapuram.
PATI-BEL, a joint venture involving a Malaysian company and Bhageeratha Engineering, was associated with the project. Lee See Been, a Malaysian project engineer linked to the company, had reportedly raised several complaints during the construction work before returning to Malaysia, where he later died by suicide.
A Vigilance probe was ordered at the time, but the investigation did not progress further.
According to former PWD Minister M K Muneer, who held the portfolio when Kumar was PWD Secretary, the circumstances surrounding Lee's death, the contents of his suicide note and all related matters should be subjected to a comprehensive investigation.
Muneer also said the KSTP project had been implemented effectively and maintained that the project had improved roads in Kerala.
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UDF, LDF welcome probe
Muneer welcomed the decision to investigate the circumstances surrounding the engineer's death. He also said the issue should be treated separately from previous political allegations against him concerning PWD works.
Muneer said allegations raised against him by the LDF government between 2006 and 2011 had been politically motivated and that he had been exonerated by the Vigilance Court. He added that if matters already dismissed by the court were to be revisited, he was prepared to face an investigation.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan also welcomed the Vigilance inquiry, calling for all cases involving Kumar in Kerala to be examined and appropriate action to be taken if any wrongdoing is established.
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Chennithala rejects political motive
Chennithala said the action was not linked to the Opposition's political campaign against the Election Commission or the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
He said the petition concerned events from Kumar's tenure as PWD Secretary and that, as Home Minister, it was his responsibility to ensure that allegations involving a possible cognizable offence were examined.
"Let the Vigilance inquire into the whole thing and give justice to the people of Kerala," Chennithala said.
The Vigilance inquiry comes at a time when Kumar is facing criticism from Opposition parties over the SIR exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission. However, the Kerala government has maintained that the proposed inquiry is based on separate allegations concerning Kumar's tenure in the state administration.