The Hindu : TSP row: UDF defends Kuttappan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 26, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

TSP row: UDF defends Kuttappan

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM July 25. The ruling UDF coalition today threw its weight behind its Scheduled Caste and Tribes Welfare Minister, M.A. Kuttappan, by rejecting the Opposition LDF's demand for his resignation in connection with the alleged misappropriation of Tribal Sub Plan funds.

The Opposition drew its inspiration from the context of the senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran's reported statement in New Delhi on Wednesday, demanding strong action against the Minister for the administrative lapse. It was clear that Mr. Karunakaran's statement pushed the Antony Government on the backfoot, and the immediate outcome was the press conference convened by the UDF convener, Oommen Chandy, to neutralise the damage Mr. Karunakaran's statement might cause.

Though Mr. Chandy gave evasive replies to questions on Mr. Karunakaran's Delhi statement, it was obvious that the press conference was the outcome of hurried discussions held soon after the Opposition's renewed onslaught in the Assembly demanding Dr. Kuttappan's resignation. Mr. Chandy kept asserting that the UDF would not make either Dr. Kuttappan or the officials of the SC/ST Department scapegoats.

The major thrust of the press conference was directed at emphasising that tribal funds had been kept as cash or as Demand Draft at the end of the financial year in order to prevent it from getting lapsed. The needle point of counter campaign was directed at Mr. Karunakaran, because Mr. Chandy and other leaders who were present at the press conference, said that such practice was in vogue since 1984-85 and continued during the successive regimes of the LDF and the UDF.

Mr. Chandy, who was accompanied by Aryadan Mohammed, P.P. George, Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, K. Narayana Kurup, Johnny Nellore, Rajan Babu and Shibu Baby John, said that the UDF would not allow technicalities to come in the way of the allocation and utilisation of plan funds meant for the tribes. He asserted that the Minister and the department officials had acted correctly in order to prevent the plan funds from lapsing.

He said the plan funds were released only in December 2001. Following the Government employees' stir, the department was not able to spend the funds. The department would have lost Rs. 31.27 crores had the officials stuck to the rules.

According to the figures released by the leaders, the funds were being utilised for the construction of 3,889 houses, two irrigation projects, 24 roads, funding 273 small scale units, electrification of 14 tribal colonies, construction of three anganwadi buildings, 325 latrines, two community halls, and providing solar lighting for 1944 houses.

In Wayanad district, there are 2,000 accounts for the beneficiaries. The maximum eligibility amount is Rs. 42,000. The money had been deposited in joint account of the beneficiary and the tribal officer concerned, under clear terms. The UDF leaders said they were sure that not a single paise had been misspent.

In reply to a question on Mr. Karunakaran's statement, Mr. Chandy evasively stated: "We don't know the circumstances under which Mr. Karunakaran had made the statement. We have not been able to ascertain it from him.''

He alleged that the Opposition was trying to mislead the people and create a smokescreen. He said that the UDF could not agree with the LDF's attitude of stalling Assembly proceedings for days together.

Mr. Karunakaran's sharp attack on the law and order problem in the State, and his opposition to the Labour bill has apparently irked the Congress-led UDF, dominated by the Antony faction. Interestingly, the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, has so far remained silent on the running controversy, content at letting either the Finance Minister, K. Sankaranarayanan, or Mr. Chandy to do the talking. For the time being, the Government has averted further embarrassment on Mr. Karunakaran's account.

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