PWD Minister T U Kuruvila resigned from the LDF Cabinet on Monday night in the wake of the land scam involving him and his children. Mr Kuruvila met Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan around 11:15 pm at his residence after the latter flew in from Kozhikode and submitted his resignation.
The Kerala Congress (J)  leader had said he was putting in his papers in the wake of the judicial inquiry ordered by the government into the controversy surrounding the land scandal. It may be recalled that Mr Kuruvila’s son and daughter were accused of cheating a Gulf-based NRI who bought 55 acres of land in Idukki from them. The NRI later accused them of keeping the protected status of the land under wraps. The land was designated as cardamom hill reserves where a tourist resort could not be built as the NRI had planned.
The NRI said he had entered into the deal only on the assurance given by the minister and that he had been cheated. An inquiry by the Idukki district collector had also found discrepancies in the records of the land that was transferred. However, Mr Kuruvila said he had nothing to do with the land transactions of his children and that he was being victimised for no wrong of his.
The LDF’s tough stand against tainted ministers also did not help Kuruvila’s case with both Chief Minister Achutha-nandan and CPM secretary Pinarayi Vijayan refusing to support him.
Kuruvila’s exit came on the eve of the sixth session of the present legislature and it makes him the second representative of Kerala Congress (J) to step down from the LDF cabinet. Party supremo P J Joseph had to quit last year following allegations of sexual misconduct on board a plane in August 2006.