Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar resigns

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Minister for Forests & Environment, Sports and Cinema, K.B. Ganesh Kumar has resigned after his wife accused him of domestic violence.

Ganesh handed over the resignation letter to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at Cliff House at 11.45 pm on Monday.

Yamini Thankachy had submitted a written complaint against him with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Museum Police Station here on Monday night. Chandy then called in DGP at Cliff House and held talks with him. Subsequently, Ganesh went to Cliff House and submitted the resignation letter.

Chandy said that he has accepted Ganesh’s resignation. Chandy explained that Ganesh resigned after an FIR was lodged against him. A case has been registered against Ganesh and the DGP has been assigned the charge of probe. Chandy will send the letter to the Governor today (Tuesday).

Meanwhile, Ganesh clarified that he will not resign his assembly membership. He also thanked Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his colleagues for co-operating with him.

Yamini Thankachy, a doctor, held a press conference on Monday evening alleging that her husband, also a film actor, had physically abused and tortured her for the last 16 years. She alleged that very recently the minister had "held me by the hair and beaten me up."

Ms Thankachy said this only hours after Mr Kumar had filed for divorce and told the court that his wife had attacked him. He submitted in court photographs that purportedly show him with injuries to the face as evidence.

Ganesh Kumar is the only MLA from his party Kerala Congress (B) in the Kerala Assembly.

The Chandy government has a very slim majority of five in the 140-member House and every legislator counts.

The 46-year-old Ganesh and Ms Thankachy have been married for 18 years. They have two children. The minister's wife has alleged that she had earlier complained to Chief Minister Chandy and other ministers about the alleged domestic violence, but that they had done nothing.

Ganesh has also been in the news lately for his political differences with his father R. Balakrishna Pillai, who founded the Kerala Congress - B. Mr Pillai had reportedly asked Chandy last month to remove his son from his ministerial post.