CPI firm on eviction drive, wants CM Pinarayi Vijayan to attend meet

Thiruvananthapuram: The Munnar evictions will continue even without the JCBs, affirmed CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran here on Saturday. Responding to the government decision not to use JCBs to clear the encroachments in Munnar, he said that only determination and no JCB was needed to do it. “The drive has not been stopped and all legal measures will be taken for the same,” he said. He denied the reports that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, during the LDF meeting on Friday, had criticised the Idukki revenue officials for the eviction drive.

The CPI leaders have insisted on the presence of the chief minister at the proposed bilateral discussions to sort out the differences of opinions between the CPI and the CPM. Mr Kanam Rajendran, along with other CPI members, informed this to CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan during the LDF meeting. The discussions, scheduled for Friday, did not take place and they could not finalise a date to hold the meeting. Mr Rajendran said that there would not be any fruitful discussions if the CM stuck to his own opinions. The CPI leaders were unhappy over the chief minister pulling up the revenue officials at the LDF meeting held in the presence of Revenue Minister E. Chandrasek-haran of the CPI.