IAS officer Prashant, synonymous with fraud, plotted the ‘deep sea’ controversy: Mercykutty Amma

Kollam: A controversy has erupted in Kerala’s administrative circles, as junior IAS officer N. Prashanth has openly alleged through social media that the report accusing him of dereliction of duty was fabricated. According to Prashanth, the report was prepared by Additional Chief Secretary Jayathilak, whom he strongly criticised, even mocking the senior officer by calling him “mad”.

The matter took a political turn when CPM leader and former fisheries minister J. Mercykutty Amma strongly condemned Prashanth. In a long Facebook post, Mercykutty Amma accused Prashanth of hatching a political conspiracy around the controversial approval of the deep-sea fishing contract during her tenure. Mercykutty Amma claimed that the controversy over the deep-sea contract was part of a plan to secure coastal areas for the UDF. She recalled the events of February 2021, when then Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala had alleged that a Rs 5,000 crore MoU was signed between the Fisheries Department and EMCC International for deep sea fishing. Mercykutty Amma clarified that the MoU was signed by KSINC, where Prashanth was employed as the managing director, and had no involvement from the Fisheries Department. According to Mercykutty Amma, the allegations stemmed from a script hatched by Prashanth and Chennithala, whom she accused of influencing voters and tarnishing her credibility. She claimed that the campaign falsely portrayed her as selling the state’s marine resources, leading to widespread controversy ahead of the 2021 elections. She said the only exception was the Kollam Diocese, which supported the Opposition. In her post, Mercykutty Amma alleged that Prashanth has been constantly acting as an agent for political figures in the UDF and accused him of fraud and cheating. She expressed confidence that the truth will come out, stressing that the controversy is based on political motives rather than factual events