Congress demands Kerala education minister's resignation

The opposition Congress in Kerala demanded resignation of Education Minister V Sivankutty as the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by the Kerala government seeking a direction to withdraw cases against CPM-led Left Democratic Front leaders for the bedlam in the Kerala state Assembly in 2015.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran demanded Sivankutty's resignation. The Minister has no moral right to continue as he has to face trial, they said.

However, Sivankutty, who is CPM leader, said that there is no reason for resignation as the trial in the case is still pending. The apex court only directed that the accused in the case should face trial, he said adding that he was confident of proving innocence in court. The CPM leadership is also learnt to be backing him.

Six Left Democratic Front leaders, including Sivankutty and former industries minister E P Jayarajan, are the accused in the case pertaining to violent protest in the state Assembly in 2015. The LDF, which was the then opposition party, staged the protest to prevent then Finance Minister K M Mani in the Oommen Chandy government from presenting the state Budget as he faced allegations of taking bribe from the bar owners for diluting state's excise policy.

The fresh development has put Mani's son Jose K Mani in an embarrassing situation as he is now with the LDF.

LDF leaders are facing the case under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act as properties worth Rs. 2.2 lakh were damaged in the bedlam. The LDF members climbed the speakers dais and damaged the chair and electronic systems. The LDF government that subsequently came to power moved the court for withdrawing the case citing that the incident happened inside the assembly and the house took action against the MLAs. It also maintained that the Legislature Secretary gave police complaint without the Speaker's nod.