In the run-up to the Kerala Assembly Polls in 2006 when the Pinarayi dominated the CPM state committee, denied a seat to V.S. Atchudanandan, in a bid to stall his ascendary to Chief Ministership, thousands of people, not the CPM cadres, poured into the streets of Kerala, demanding a seat for V.S. Unnerved by this massive upsurge disregarding Pinarayi, the CPM Politburo gave the Malampuzha seat to V.S. on a platter.
The reason, why Keralities, despite opposition to the CPM, rallied behind V.S., was his relentless battle against several mafia operating in the state, many with the public blessings of the Pinarayi group of the CPM. Be it the Sandal wood Mafia in Marayur, or the, sad to say, organised sex mafia, land mafia operating in cities or the usurping of forest lands by organised church supported encroachers, the Ganja Mafia, illicit liquor mafia, battle against ?Pepsi? which was denying drinking water to residents of ?Plachimada? Palakkad, V.S. was in the forefront of the agitation.
When, V.S. declared war on land encroachers in the tourist paradise of Munnar and appointed ?three man task force? of district collector Raju Narayana Swamy, IGP Rishi Raj Singh and Suresh Kumar, People'slove for him, crossed limits. News of every day demolitions of encroached illegal resorts and hotels was received like India'svictory in 20-20 matches, with applauses and adorations.
The CPI despite numerical weakness, compared to the CPM, was considered as a gentlemanly party in Kerala due to its towering leaders like C. Atchudha Menon, P.K. Vasudevan Nair, E. Chandrasekharan Nair etc. The CPI had supported V.S. in his battles against Pinarayi Vijayan. But the Munnar encroachments exposed the CPI, as no better than CPM, in land encroachments and asset accumulation. The CPI had encroached land and built a star hotel behind its office. Moreover agricultural land was obtained stating that its leader and former CM, late P.K. Vasudevan Nair, was a ?farmer who stays in Munnar with his family, and does Agriculture?! What games to acquire land!
When the ?Special Team? demolished the front portion of the CPI office, all hell broke loose. The CPI and its ministers declared war on V.S. Pinarayi teamed up with the CPI and started veiled attacks on the V.S. A cornered V.S had to stay demolitions of party offices and the ?Munnar Eviction Drive? died a premature death. Also V.S.'smove to take over 60,000 acres of land encroached by ?TATA TEA? in Munnar to salvage his image, met with contempt and mockery as CPI revenue minister K.P. Rajendran openly attacked V.S. in the assembly by stating that the land belonged to the TATA and not Kerala government.
Next came the sale of 700 acres of ?Environmentally Fragile Forest Land? at Ponmudi near, Thiruvananthapuram by a close associate of Pinarayi and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Shri Xavi Mano Mathew to lSRO for setting up a space Engineering College. Xavi Mano Mathew is a fellow traveller of the CPM and Kerala Congress (Joseph) and has been made a member of the State Film Corporation. Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is staying in his house. Violating all Forest Protection Rules, this sale was effected and thousands of rare trees worth crores was cut. Media reports say that there is corruption worth several hundred crores in this deal and the CPI and the CPM are beneficiaries. Recently the defunct the CPI newspaper Janayugam was revived at a cost of Rs.100 crores and the media reports say that Xavi has contributed heavily for getting favours from the CPI Forest Minister Benoy Viswom. Despite strong protests, the CPI minister has refused to resign and V.S. has not shown the guts to sack him, due to pressure from the CPM and the CPI. Instead he blamed Chief Secretary Lizzie Jacob for the deal. She quit in protest and all of V.S. efforts to get her back failed Practical every-day politics has watered down V.S's?Robin Hood? image. At the time of the starting of the eviction drive at Munnar, V.S. had said, ?My cats, white or black, will catch both big and small rats.? But now the mother cat has eaten the cats, it gave birth to. Moreover the mother cat has been devoured by the wolves and foxes within and outside the CPM.
Based on Pressure from Kerala Congress leader P.J. Joseph (who quit his minister ship for molesting a co-passenger) the Chief Minister has transferred Collector Raju Narayana Swamy from Idukki. Joseph who had encroached 1.5 acres of land earmarked for tribal?s, was also the owner of a resort demolished by the Special Team. Raju had asked police to take criminal case against him and hence the transfer. With this transfer V.S.'simage has been totally shattered. Despite being a Christian dominated area, the bandh called by the BJP against the collector'stransfer, was a total success.
When the victim of a sex scandal, Shari of Kililoor, died due to threatening by the now CPM Health Minister P.K. Sreemathi, V.S. said that if he becomes CM he will arrest the ?VIP? in 24 hours. But he couldn'tprevent this VIP from entering his cabinet, since she is Pinarayi'schela. Despite the Victim'sparents naming P.K. Sreemathi, V.S., had to protect her in the Assembly, the grand down fall of the crusader V.S.!
Just like the CPM, V.S. has also let down the people of Kerala, who catapulted them to power giving them 100 seats in the 140 member assembly. V.S. as the CM is the opposite of V.S. the opposition leader. The games that power plays on the CPM and the VS!
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