Congress MP Vivek Tankha faces ire of party's youth wing for defending Kerala minister Thomas Chandy

Kochi: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha on Tuesday faced the ire of Youth Congress workers as they staged a protest here against the senior Supreme Court lawyer’s decision to defend Kerala’s beleaguered minister Thomas Chandy in the encroachment case in the Kerala High Court. [caption id=“attachment_4209089” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Kerala transport minister Thomas Chandy. News18[/caption] A group of Youth Congress workers raised slogans and waved black flags at Tankha as he stepped out of a posh hotel here to proceed to the high court, police said. A small group of Youth Congress workers were detained for allegedly trying to stop his car at the hotel gate, they said. Congress leaders including former PCC chief VM Sudheeran and Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala have expressed their displeasure over the Madhya Pradesh MP’s decision to defend Chandy, an NCP nominee in the CPM-led LDF government. Chennithala said they had come to know of Tankha’s decision to appear for Chandy only on Monday and immediately AICC General secretary in charge of Kerala, Mukul Wasnik, was informed. Sudheeran attacked Tankha, saying his appearance for Chandy was an “insult” to the UDF. Tankha, who arrived on Monday evening, however, maintained that he was appearing on behalf of Chandy in court in his professional capacity as a lawyer. In a tweet, the MP said, “In Cochin to argue a matter for an old friend n professional capacity of a lawyer. Rare instance of a minister compelled to challenge a district Col order.” A meeting of the Nationalist Congress Party’s state executive committee will be held on Tuesday amid mounting pressure on Transport Minister Thomas Chandy to quit over allegations of land encroachments by his lake resort in Alappuzha district. The Opposition Congress-led UDF and the BJP have been demanding the resignation of Chandy over allegations of land encroachment.