THIRUVNANTHAPURAM: While the CPM state leadership tried to play down the E. Chandrashekharan's absence saying that the revenue minister had skipped the meeting because of pre-scheduled engagements, the incident has clearly brought out serious differences within LDF over the Munnar encroachment issue. CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the minister could not attend the meeting because of some inconvenience. He reiterated that the CPM and CPI had no differences over policy matters.
However, things are not as simple as the CPM leader would like one to believe. By keeping off a meeting convened by the chief minister who heads the Cabinet, many believe the minister had failed to discharge his constitutional responsibilities for which he had been sworn in. The issue has also brought to the fore the lack of unity in Cabinet especially on crucial issues like Munnar. The CPI leaders felt that the chief minister should have taken the minister on board while taking decisions concerning the revenue department.
However, more than administrative issue, it is a political battle that is taking place between the two major partners of the LDF. For the CPI state leadership the biggest embarrassment came in the form of the stand taken by some of its top leaders in Idukki district. Interestingly, all major leaders in the district including power minister M M Mani, S Rajendran MLA both of CPM, CPI leaders C A Kurian, assistant district secretary Muhupandi and Congress senior leader A. K. Mani are all on the same page. The common thread that binds them is their opposition to revenue department’s action against encroachers.
While on the one hand the revenue minister, Devikulam sub-collector and district revenue authorities are firm on going after encroachments especially in Munnar, the representatives of political parties are hell bent on halting the drive. They want the revenue authorities to take them into confidence before removing encroachments or evicting encroachers. The revenue minister has made it clear that he will implement LDF’s well stated policy of removing encroachments in Idukki. Though the minister didn’t attend the meeting on Saturday, he the revenue department would take forward the decisions taken at the meet.
Quit if you have self respect, Thiruvanchoor tells CPI:
Former minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Saturday said if the CPI had any self respect left, it should come out of the ruling LDF. The Congress leader said the meeting convened by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Munnar land issue in the absence of revenue minister clearly indicated that he was not prepared to take his Cabinet on board on major decisions. It is a major embarrassment for the minister and his party. “As a self respecting party, they should quit the ruing front,” he added.
A section of opposition leaders said that the government had lost collective responsibility. Things have come to such a pass that the ministers have stopped listening to the chief minister and the latter is not taking them into confidence on crucial matters. They said while the government should take stringent action against the encroachers in Munnar , it should draw a clear distinction between encroachers and settlers. The revenue department officials should desist from harassing settlers in the name of encroachments.
Opposition leaders felt that the CPI was getting a raw deal from the CPM. Meanwhile, the Congress too is facing problems like the CPI in Idukki district. The Congress state leadership is facing opposition from senior leaders. KPCC vice-president A. K. Mani had demanded the removal of Devikulam sub-collector Sriram Venkataraman who had launched an intensive drive against encroachers in Munnar. He is now facing a party inquiry.
