Kerala Minister K Krishnankutty to sue MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who alleged the 2018 floods were ‘man-made’ due to corruption. Kuzhalnadan released an audio clip, which the minister refutes as an AI-fake and vows legal action.
MLA Alleges ‘Man-Made’ Floods, Releases Audio Clip
Keralam Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Tuesday said that he will initiate legal action against Congress leader and Muvattupuzha MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who has alleged that the 2018 floods in the State were “man-made” and occurred due to corruption aimed at benefitting private contractors.
Addressing a press briefing here today, Kuzhalnadan released an audio clip in which Krishnankutty is purportedly heard saying that the severe floods that affected several areas in Keralam that year were caused by corruption under Mathew T Thomas, who was the Water Resources Minister of Keralam in 2018. The voice in the clip mentions that Thottappally spillway in Alappuzha was not opened despite requests, and that water was improperly stored in Maniyar for a private company’s benefit. In the clip, the voice purportedly of Kuzhalnadan is heard accusing former irrigation minister Mathew T Thomas of deliberately delaying the opening of the Thottappally spillway to benefit a private contractor. Opening the spillway would have washed away a sandbank and caused a loss of mineral sand worth crores of rupees to the private contractor, it is alleged.
Minister Denies Allegations, Claims Audio is AI-Generated
Krishnankutty, however, said that the audio recording was a fake and was created using Artificial Intelligence (AI). “The allegation against me is that the Thottappally spillway shutters were not opened. The answer I gave in the assembly on 30.11.2018 is the clear evidence for this. The question was raised by Hibi Eden, a Congress leader. He had asked: ‘Do you know when the shutters of Thottappally spillway were raised following the floods in August 2018?’ Answer: ‘All 40 shutters of Thottappally spillway were raised to the maximum even before the floods on 16.07.2018. Due to the chain hook of one shutter coming off, that shutter went down, and with the help of machinery, that shutter was also raised to the maximum on 15.08.2018. At no point did the water level rise above the level of the shutters.’ “So the allegation that water came above the shutters is not true. I feel this is something artificially used for the elections. Legal action will be taken against this,” Krishnankutty told ANI.
Asked whether the audio clip was fake, Krishnankutty said, ” Since there is AI, we need to check it. I mean, this is the answer I gave in the assembly. This is the evidence. If I had lied, wouldn’t they have given a privilege motion or something? Now they are using this for elections. My opinion is that it’s being used artificially for elections.” “I will discuss with the lawyer, understand the legal aspects, and then decide,” the Keralam minister said.
Congress Leaders Back ‘Man-Made’ Flood Claim
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala speaking in Alapuzzha said, “The floods in our state were largely man-made. I was among those who raised this issue repeatedly, both inside and outside the Assembly at the time. Even the report submitted based on the amicus curiae appointed by the Keralam High Court clearly pointed this out.”
“The full responsibility for the flooding of Kerala lies with the government led by Pinarayi Vijayan. This is something the people are well aware of. It was only after that disaster that the government began implementing proper warning systems and measures to regulate water levels,” he said. “The floods occurred when multiple dams, including those in Idukki and Pathanamthitta, were opened all at once. That is the reality,” the Congress leader and the UDF candidate from Haripad consituency said.
Political and Electoral Context
In 2018, HD Deve Gowda, the party supremo of Janata Dal (Secular), ally of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in the State asked then Water Resources minister and party MLA Mathew T Thomas to step down and he was replaced by K Krishnankutty of the JD(S). The Keralam unit of the JD(S) merged into the Indian Socialist Janata Dal (ISJD), which was formed earlier this year.
While Krishanankutty is not contesting the upcoming April 9 Assembly elections, Mathew T Thomas, the sitting MLA from ISJD party will throw his hat in the ring again from Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district. He is facing Anoop Antony Joseph of the BJP and Varghese Mammen of the Kerala Congress (Joseph). Meanwhile, Congress’ sitting legislator, Mathew Kuzhalnadan is in this election seeking to stop the “revolving door” trend of Muvattupuzha electing its MLA from from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Congress alternatively. He is pitted against N Arun of the CPI and Sunny Kadoothazhe of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s ally Twenty20. (ANI)
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