FIR against VS, says will quit if chargesheeted

Kozhikode/Thiruvananthapuram: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Friday filed an FIR against CPM leader VS Achuthanandan in a land allotment case even as he octogenarian former chief minister indicated that he would resign as Opposition leader if chargesheeted.

The FIR, registering a case against Achuthanandan and seven others, was submitted to special judge V Jayaram at his residence at Kozhikode by two vigilance officials from Kasargod, setting the stage for a detailed probe in the case.

Achuthanandan and others have been accused of charges of conspiracy, cheating and destruction of evidence in connection with the allegedly flawed allotment of 2.33 acres of government land to an ex-serviceman TK Soman, a relative of Achuthanandan, at Sherny village in Kasargod district when he was heading the previous CPM-led LDF government.

Others figuring in the case are CPI leader and Revenue Minister in previous LDF government KP Rajendran, then Land Revenue Commissioner K R Muraleedharan, IAS officer Sheela Thomas, Principal Secretary to Achuthanandan when he was chief minister, Soman, former Kasargod Collectors Anand Singh and Krishnan Kutty and Achuthanandan's personal aide A Suresh.

Achuthanandan made it clear that he would resign as leader of Opposition in the state Assembly if he was chargesheeted.

Reiterating that the vigilance case against him was fabricated, he told reporters at Thiruvanathapuram he would not cling to the position if charges were brought against him unlike some ministers in the Congress-led UDF ministry in the state who were facing corruption charges.

He said he had conveyed his position to the CPM leadership.

Earlier in the day, the 87-year-old leader had offered to quit his position immediately but both CPM central and state leadership rallied behind him and maintained that there was no need to resign as the vigilance case against him was the result of a "political conspiracy".

"The UDF leaders demanding my resignation should keep in mind one thing. There are some ministers in the UDF Cabinet who cling to their positions despite facing charges. My morality is different from yours. If I am chargesheeted I will not follow their example," Achuthanandan said.