UDF to sail or sink with tainted

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The first challenge facing the new Congress-led Ministry is the demand to keep “the corrupt and sex racket tainted” out of the Cabinet.

The outgoing Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, on Saturday warned his successor against inducting persons with dubious records into the ministry.

Mr Achuthanandan, soon to be opposition leader, accords priority to the Ice Cream Parlour Sex racket case in which the Indian Union Muslim League general secretary, Mr P.K. Kunhalikutty, is the first accused on the FIR.

Legally speaking, only after the police completes the probe and files the charge-sheet does he become an accused.

But the Opposition may take a 'moral' stance and cite the ongoing police probe by the SIT, and disclosures by his brother-in-law, Mr K.A. Rauf, to back its demand to keep out Mr Kunhalikutty.

The government will soon have to take a decision on the SIT and whether the same officer continues to head it. Several other top UDF leaders are also under the vigilance scanner. Mr Achuthanandan has a thick dossier on the pet cases to pursue in his new role as the Opposition leader.

Another IUML leader, Dr M.K. Muneer, is facing a vigilance probe in connection with the sanctioning of Rs 28 crore for the construction of five roads in Manjeri in Malappuram. The PWD minister, Mr M. Vijayakumar, announced here the other day that the government had recommended a vigilance probe into the road improvement work in Thiruvananthapuram. The targets are the previous Kerala Congress Ministers who handled the portfolio.

In the decades-old Kuriarkutty Karappara case, the High Court acquitted Kerala Congress leader, Mr T.M. Jacob. But the LDF Government's appeal is pending at the Supreme Court.

The UDF could argue these cases are all politically motivated and nothing has been proved yet. That reasoning would hold good till the first adverse stricture or verdict from the Court.