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Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday said he cannot become a mute spectator and has forwarded a petition alleging irregularities during Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumars tenure as the states Public Works Department (PWD) Secretary in 2006 to the Vigilance Director for inquiry.
He cited the suicide note of Malaysian engineer Lee See Been, who was associated with a state road project, and said the note had specifically mentioned the current CEC, who was serving as PWD Secretary at the time. According to Chennithala, Congress activist Malayinkeezhu Venugopal submitted a petition alleging malpractices and corrupt activities involving Kumar during his tenure as PWD Secretary. Yesterday, Malayinkeezhu Venugopal, a Congress activist, gave me a petition regarding the malpractices and corrupt activities of Gyanesh Kumar when he was PWD secretary in Kerala. The representation reveals some of the serious issues, Chennithala told ANI. Also, in between, Malaysian project engineer, Lee, committed suicide. In the suicide note, it has been mentioned about PWD Secretary Gyanesh Kumar very clearly. So the government cannot sit idle. I cannot become a mute spectator, he said. Chennithala said he had forwarded the petition to the Vigilance Director to examine the allegations and take appropriate legal action. The state Home Minister maintained that the action was not politically motivated and said the matter was separate from the Oppositions political campaign against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Our leader, Rahul Gandhi, is fighting against the misrule of the BJP. Gyanesh Kumar is only a tool of PM Modi and Amit Shah. According to their dictates, he is acting, Chennithala said. But this case is different. As a minister, it is my bounden duty to go into the details, and if there is a cognizable offence, it is my duty to send it to the vigilance director for further inquiry. That I have done, he added. The minister said the Vigilance inquiry should examine the allegations in detail and establish the facts. Let the vigilance inquire into the whole thing and give justice to the people of Keralam, Chennithala said. The Home Department has also sought files related to the preliminary Vigilance inquiry conducted in 2006, with the fresh probe set to examine allegations of external influence in the earlier proceedings. (ANI)
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