Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Forest Minister and NCP leader A K Saseendran on Saturday said that the horse-trading allegations that cropped up in connection with party MLA Thomas K Thomas will be discussed by the party leadership and appropriate action would be taken on the matter based on that.
He said a demand for a judicial probe into the allegations has already been raised by many and it is up to the concerned persons to take a decision in this regard.
Saseendran also made it clear that he was ready to step down as minister any time and would submit his resignation as soon as party state president P C Chacko demands the same.
The forest minister's reaction came a day after a controversy erupted in Kerala over media reports claiming that an NCP MLA from the state, aligned with Sharad Pawar, offered Rs 50 crore each to two other Left legislators to join the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, an ally of the BJP.
The reports claimed that Thomas K Thomas, an MLA of the NCP and an ally of the LDF, made the monetary offer to two Left MLAs Antony Raju (Janadhipathya Kerala Congress) and Kovoor Kunjumon (RSP-Leninist).
However, Kuttanad MLA Thomas on Friday rejected the media reports against him, terming them as "baseless." "Thomas K Thomas is our party's leader. Now, an allegation has come up against him. The matter will be discussed with the party leader and a coordinated decision will be taken about how to deal with the issue," Saseendran told reporters here.
A stand would be taken by the party in the matter without any differences, he said.
When such allegations are cropped up, the party used to examine its rights and wrongs and then a stand would be taken, the minister further said.
The reported allegations arose in the wake of Thomas's attempt to secure a Cabinet position in the Pinarayi Vijayan government by replacing his party colleague and Forest Minister Saseendran. This move by Thomas created a division within the NCP (Sharad Pawar) unit in the state, with many members supporting Saseendran's continued presence in the government.
