No law or order in state, says Opposition Leader Chandi

13 Feb 2010

KALPETTA: The UDF state committee here on Friday decided to launch a series of agitations against the CPM across the state in the backdrop of large-scale encroachment of land of UDF leaders.


Later, inaugurating a public meeting here, Opposition leader Oommen Chandy said the ‘ongoing’ encroachment in the district by tribesmen under the auspices of Adivasi Kshema Samiti (AKS) itself was evidence of the ‘inefficiency’ of the Achuthanandan ministry.

“Being in power, the LDF ministry can legally take over land if it is an illegal holding.

Instead the CPM has been using landless tribals just to settle political scores,” he said.

“There is no law and order in the state. The Chief Minister showers abuse on the District Collector and the police force for alleged mishandling of the tribal agitation. Even the CPM district secretary threatens the Collector.

It is total anarchy,” Chandy charged.

“The tribals encroached on the land hoping they would get land only if they encroached into it. They have no faith in the party as well as in the Chief Minister. So what is the use of a Chief Minister who has lost his own partymen’s faith?” Chandy warned that the trend of party cells dictating to officials would be opposed tooth and nail.

KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala said on the occasion that the CPM, which had refused to take over the controversial land in the past threeand- a-half years encroached on the land as soon as M P Veerendrakumar joined the UDF. On Munnar, he said “99 per cent of encroachment is by CPM men.” “If the Collector puts up a board on the land of Shreyamskumar, it would not become government land,” said K M Mani, leader of Kerala Congress(M).

“For 46 years I was a saint for the CPM but after I switched over to the UDF I became a Judas within no time,” said Veerendrakumar.

“With police protection anybody can encroach on any land. It is not a big thing.” IUML leader P K Kunhalikkutty, M V Raghavan (CMP), R Balakrishna Pillai (Kerala Congress- B), M I Shanawaz MP and P V Balachandran (DCC president) were present. UDF district convener K P Thomas chaired the meeting.

Later, these leaders told reporters that the UDF would start three-day panchayat-level campaign on February 18. The next UDF meeting on the issue will be held in Kochi on February 16, which would plan the state-level agitations, they said.