Kannur based businessman, friend are benamis; Ministers' Maharashtra land deal stirs up controversy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Kaumudi report about two ministers acquiring 200 acres of land in Maharashtra under benami names has stirred up a new controversy. KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran and Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded the government to initiate a probe against the ministers.

The Enforcement Directorate has launched a probe into the allegations that the two ministers had acquired land in Maharashtra with the help of a recently retired IAS officer.

According to sources, the ministers acquired land in Dodamarg taluk in Sindhudurg district with a Kannur native businessman and his associates as their benamis.

It is learnt that the highly influential businessman had recently visited. He also owns several acres of land in Maharashtra.

The probe into the ministers' benami deal comes at a time when the government and the CPM are staging strong resistance against the central investigation agencies who are also probing into the gold smuggling case as well as the Life Mission scam.