The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has demanded that Minister for Higher Education K.T. Jaleel step down, owning up moral responsibility for the smuggling of gold through diplomatic channels.
IUML national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty, MP, addressing the media here on Saturday, also questioned the propriety of the CPI(M) polit bureau deciding whether Mr. Jaleel should quit or not.
“It is a public outcry over a State matter. It is not a party matter for the polit bureau to decide. A minister is a property of the State. He (Mr. Jaleel) has misused the State’s official position. And he is answerable to the State and its people,” said Mr. Kunhalikutty.
“He can come back to the Cabinet if he is not found guilty. The law that is applicable to Sivasankar and Jayarajan is applicable to Mr. Jaleel too. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should make his stand clear on it,” said the IUML leader.
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Mr. Kunhalikutty said that the government’s double standards became evident when it came to Mr. Jaleel. Mr. Sivasankar and Mr. Jayarajan stepped down not after they were convicted in a court of law. “The situation demands that the Minister quit,” he said.
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He also lashed out at Mr. Jaleel for appearing before the Enforcement Directorate in a covert manner. “His covert use of a private vehicle to appear before the investigating agency was a clear breach of protocol. A minister should not go in a clandestine manner, as he is the public property and answerable to the public,” Mr. Kunhalikutty said.
