Kottayam: Congress leader P T Thomas, former MP, has said pradesh Congress committee president V M Sudheeran, who had taken a firm stand on sand mining, failed to adopt a similar position on Madhav Gadgil report.
At a meet-the-Press at Press Club here on Saturday, Mr Thomas said Mr Sudheeran’s Gadgil stand perhaps owed to pressures brought on him. But the party should not have genuflected before pressure groups.
Mr Thomas blamed Idukki bishop Mar Mathew Anikkuzhikattil for disrupting a meeting of people’s representatives to be addressed by Biodiversity Board chairman Oommen V Oommen at Kattappana some time ago.
He alleged that some people, donning the facade of spirituality, tried to abet and aid in encouraging campaigners of falsehood. “By using the church, its institutions such as schools and its employees, the Idukki Bishop had unleashed a false campaign against Gadgil and me”, Mr Thomas added.
Referring to the denial of the Lok Sabha nomination for him from Idukki, Mr Thomas said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Mr Sudheeran and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala should introspect why he had to be packed off from the poll front, in deference to Bishop Anikkuzhikattil’s pressure tactics.
But if Congress had fielded him as the UDF candidate in Idukki he would have emerged successful, vindicating his position on the Gadgil report. Mr Thomas lashed out at mainstream political parties for neglecting environment protection. If mainstream political parties failed to take up environmental protection as a regular agenda they would get isolated.
“The stand taken by mainstream parties on the Gadgil report is sad. CPM had censored Sastra Sahithya Parishad for its bold stand for the implementation of Gadgil report. I hope Kerala society will seriously discuss such issues”, said Mr Thomas.
Referring to a perceived change of stand by BJP, Mr Thomas said Union Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javadekar’s comment after assuming office created tension and worry. He had said environment and development should go side by side.
“The position of BJP, which had stood for implementing Gadgil report, seemed to have blurred after assuming power. BJP should come clean on Gadgil report”, Mr Thomas added.
