(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Saseendran second minister in the 10-month-old government to resign after industries minister E P Jayarajan
Kerala Transport Minister A K Saseendran resigned yesterday after an audio emerged in which he is heard having a lewd conversation with a woman on phone.
A five-time Nationalist Congress Party legislator, the minister announced the resignation at a hurriedly-called press conference here. The audio was released by the new channel Mangalam TV.
But the politician maintained he had done no wrong. 'I always behave with everyone very politely, Saseendran said.
'The need of the hour in the wake of this particular news report is not to look into the merits of the case but uphold the morality of my party, government and myself. Hence, I am stepping down.
'I am ready to face any probe by any agency and I have no complaints against anyone.
Asked if he smelt a conspiracy, Saseendran said this has to be established in an investigation.
'I did not want to cling on to this post on technical grounds because then the complaint would have come that a fair probe can't happen. I don't wish to hear that and hence decided to quit, he added.
Mangalam TV said it had edited out more explicit parts of the conversation.
The channel claimed the woman was a homemaker who approached the minister with a petition.
Ironically, the incident surfaced at a time when the state is debating growing atrocities against women and children.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media that he had taken the TV report seriously and promised action.
Opposition Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said it is shameful that a minister had to resign on such grounds from the government, which rode to power promising protection to women and children.
'The truth needs to come out. The report has shocked everyone, Chennithala told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan hit out at the minister, saying all Keralites need to hang their heads in shame over the allegations.
Saseendran is the second minister in the 10-month-old government to resign. Industries minister E P Jayarajan had quit in October following nepotism charges.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is reportedly planning to bring back Jayarajan, a top leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) who was considered the 'second in command.
Interestingly, he is also the fourth transport minister in the state to resign over sex scandal after Neela Lohitha Dasan Nadar, Jose Thettayil and K B Ganesh Kumar - all part of the LDF.
The Congress-led opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP, meanwhile, stepped up their attack on the government over increasing crimes against women and children in the state.
Both see a political opportunity in the latest scandal with Malappuram by-election, seen as the first litmus test for the communist government, less than three weeks away.
'Kerala has reached such a state that even women and children approaching ministers for justice are not safe, said Chennithala.
'Such behaviour of ministers would only embolden the men assaulting women and children, he said.
'This is a shame on the entire state, added M M Hassan, president of the Congress Party in the state.
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