NCP to bat for Thomas as minister in LDF govt

Thiruvananthapuram: NCP is set to demand the inclusion of Thomas K Thomas, replacing A K Saseendran in the LDF govt. The decision was made by the state leadership, with the party commission giving a clean chit to Thomas in the alleged Rs 100-crore horse trading controversy.

NCP state brass decided to approach chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan with this demand after the bypolls. Though the party brass had met Vijayan with the same demand earlier, the CM sought more time to decide on it and asked NCP functionaries to wait until the bypolls were over.

When the Rs 100-crore horse trading charges against Thomas surfaced, there were reports that Vijayan wouldn't be willing to induct him into his govt.

Meanwhile, the NCP brass appointed a four-member party commission, including PM Suresh Babu, Lathika Subhash, KR Rajan and Job Kattoor, to probe the allegations against Thomas. This commission gave a clean chit to Thomas in its report to NCP state president PC Chacko.

The commission, which took the statement of Kovur Kunjumon, MLA, said in the report that the allegations that Thomas offered Rs 100 crore to come out of LDF, were baseless. Kunjumon told the commission that Thomas never approached him with such an offer.

Antony Raju, MLA, who claimed that Thomas offered him money, was not ready to cooperate with the NCP party commission. However, the NCP commission observed that the charges against Thomas were fabricated and that Raju was behind it.

There were reports that NCP state brass constituted the commission to give Thomas a clean chit as it is backing the Kuttanad MLA as Saseendran's replacement as minister. However, Saseendran, who was unwilling to step down, said NCP would discuss the party commission report on the horse trading charges.