THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan has alleged a nexus between the LDF and the UDF to allow transport minister Thomas Chandy to continue in office. "As a result, the Congress has not pressed for the ouster of Chandy," he said while inaugurating the BJP's secretariat siege on Monday. About 1,000 BJP supporters from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts protested in front of the three gates of the secretariat from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The employees and public were allowed to enter the secretariat through the cantonment gate. Mr Kummanam asked chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to seize the encroached land from Thomas Chandy and return it to the farmers. "He should show the guts to oust him like he evicted the mediapersons from the venue of the peace talks with the BJP some time ago," he said. "It is the surplus land meant for the farmers that Thomas Chandy encroached. There are 18 cases of violations by him and he is clinging to power despite the legal advice against him. Pinarayi Vijayan is supporting him in collusion with the UDF," said Mr Kummanam.
He also alleged that Thomas Chandy had committed the maximum number of encroachments during the rule of former chief minister Oommen Chandy. BJP MLA O. Rajagopal, former BJP state presidents P. K. Krishnadas and V. Muraleedharan, state general secretaries A. N. Radhakrishnan and Sobha Surendran and district presidents from the three districts also attended the protest.
