For those who came in late, it was just a few days ago that the Chandy government had come under the scanner for reportedly transferring industrial land in Palakkad to the liquor baron Vijay Mallya at purportedly low rates in 2013.
Chandy had then reacted to the latest allegation by saying it’s old news and citing that it was a 1971 land deal that had taken place when the late NE Balram had helmed the state Industries ministry.
Taking umbrage at the alleged insinuation, the late communist leader’s daughter -Geetha Nazeer- took to Facebook to pen an open letter to the Kerala chief minister conveying her displeasure at the same.
She posted: “Since my father is no longer around to reply in his defence, I’m forced to write this taking my 83-year old mother’s agony into account after reading about such baseless allegations.”
Responding to Geetha’s letter on Tuesday, Chandy says that his intention was not to malign her illustrious father NE Balram’s -one of the founding leaders of the communist movement in Kerala- name but to establish just how old the Mallya land deal was.
To quote from his letter: “I have never said anywhere that what was done at that time was wrong. Neither did I ever imply corruption in the deal. It was just a decision taken in circumstances of which we know nothing. I believe it was a decision borne out of wanting to set up an industry in Kerala…nothing more.”
Chandy also released a copy of the 1971 telex message that was sent by the then secretary of the state Industries Ministry to the Palakkad district collector confirming the said deal wherein land was handed over to the Premier Breweries Limited for setting up of a brewery.
The telex copy -Chandy says in his reply to Balram’s daughter- substantiated his point that the so-called Mallya land deal had its origins way back in 1971.
Nowhere -Chandy reiterates in his letter- has he accused her late father of any wrongdoing or corruption in the said land deal.
You can read Geetha’s Facebook post here.
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