Kuruvila to replace Joseph as Kerala minister

Thiruvananthapuram: T. U. Kuruvila, MLA from Kothamangalam, will replace P.J. Joseph as the Public Works Minister in Kerala.

The public works portfolio fell vacant as Joseph submitted his resignation yesterday following allegations that he outraged the modesty of a woman passenger in a flight from Chennai to Kochi on August 3.

Joseph is keen that the charge should be investigated further. He hopes that he would come clean after such an inquiry and return to the Cabinet. Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said late yesterday that further inquiry would be held into the complaint against Joseph.

Forwarded

Talking to reporters after forwarding the resignation letter to Governor R.L. Bhatia, he said the minister had quit on his own after going through the report of Inspector General of Police B. Sandhya, who investigated the matter.

The probe had found that the woman passenger had to undergo humiliation and that she was "physically pained"‚ by the alleged incident. The probe report also said there was no conspiracy behind the entire episode.

On Joseph's argument that the probe report was incomplete, Achuthanandan said further inquiry could be held on the matter. Other partners of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) would be consulted on the issue, he said.

Achuthanandan said the resignation would in no way affect the image of the LDF government as he had ordered a probe even before receiving a written complaint.

Meanwhile, reports say that the nomination of Kurvila, a new face in the assembly, as a minister has jolted a section of the Kerala Congress-Joseph group. For one thing, he is not a Catholic and he is a co-accused in the Maitri housing scam in the previous LDF ministry.

Positions of power

A section led by P.C. Thomas, former chairman of the Indian Federation of Democratic Parties, and Dr K.C. Joseph, former MLA, have of late been seeking positions of power.

Thomas has a strong case as the promises made to him when his IFDP merged with the Jospeh group have not been fulfilled. One of them was chairmanship of the party.