Thiruvananthapuram: The two leading constituents of Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front, the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) are on collision course on the Munnar land grab issue, with the latter opposing the idea of calling a high-level meeting to discuss the matter.
Instead, the CPI prefers to get down to the task of evicting encroachers in Munnar, one of Kerala’s better-known hill stations.
CPI leader and revenue minister E. Chandrasekharan has communicated to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan that it would be inappropriate to convene a high-level meeting on the basis of a request by an encroacher.
Chandasekharan said the steps being taken by revenue department officials in Munnar were appropriate measures to evict the encroachers.
There are allegations that some CPM leaders have also carried out encroachments in Munnar. When local sub collector Sriram Venkatraman took stern action against encroachers, there had been calls from CPM leaders including electricity minister M.M. Mani to transfer him.
The high-level committee had been proposed by the chief minister to be held on July 1. Following the CPI’s disapproval of the suggestion, the meeting may not take place now.
The disagreement between the CPM and the CPI comes close on the heels of the opposing stances taken by the two parties in the Puthuvype issue.
While the CPM leadership, barring a few, have defended the baton-charge against local residents who were opposing the construction of an LPG plant at Puthuvype, CPI leaders have strongly condemned it.
A local CPI leader even went to the extent of saying that if the government was not able to rein in its police force, the CPI would do it.
