Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF meeting on Friday decided to go ahead with the demolition drive, but in a more restrained manner. The focus of the drive would be on big encroachments and not on small-scale ones. The meeting also decided to convene an all-party meeting on Munnar operations. Religious leaders and mediapersons will also be invited to the meeting. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said after the LDF meeting that the differences of opinion about the demolitions between the CPM and the CPI remained and added that more discussions were needed on the issue.
Both the CPM and the CPI stuck to their respective positions regarding the removal of the cross at Pappathichola. While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan opined that there were lapses in the way the holy cross was brought down, Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan maintained his earlier stand that all proper measures were taken while doing it. The minister said that the state government would clear out all encroachments in Munnar.
The demolition drive was just the usual procedure and there was no need to discuss it with the chief minister. He did not wish to respond to the chief minister’s comments on the issue. Meanwhile, administrative reforms commission chairman V.S. Achuthanandan cautioned both the parties not to worsen the Munnar issue and said that they should unite on the matter. “Any encroachment, including in the form of a holy cross, should be removed,” said Mr Achuthanandan criticising the statement made earlier by Mr Pinarayi Vijayan against taking down the cross.
