Southern States - Kerala

LDF faced with tough choices

By C. Gouridasan Nair

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM June 24. The LDF State committee is faced with tough choices as it gets down to decide on the NCP-Congress(S) row and the controversy over the KC(J) stand on the Mathikettan issue.

The LDF leadership is in a quandary on both the issues. Although several of the LDF constituents have strong reservations about the NCP, they are generally averse to causing a rupture in the LDF. This may prompt them to let both the Congress(S) and the NCP to remain in the Front as two constituents.

Both the sides are likely to be told to bury the hatchet and see if they could find a meeting ground. In what is a clear bid to keep the LDF leadership in good humour, the NCP leadership had decided to let its lone MLA, A. C. Shanmughadas, to vote for the Left Front's presidential nominee, Lakshmi Sahgal. That should at least help mollify the LDF leadership.

On the Mathikettan issue, the LDF's dilemma is even greater. At its last meeting, the committee had resolved to firmly oppose encroachment into forest areas. This, in effect, meant endorsement of the Government decision to evict all encroachers. However, the KC(J) leader, P. J. Joseph, chose to take a different stand on the issue and an agitation is on at Mathikettan against the evictions.

Mr. Joseph has taken the stand that 124 persons evicted from the area had documents to prove that they were pre-1977 settlers who were eligible to get title deeds as decided by the Government headed by none other than A. K. Antony, in 1977. He had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister pleading for these settlers.

Mr. Antony used the memorandum to good use in the Assembly today and reminded the Opposition that despite all that it said about Mathikettan, there was little unity on the issue in the Opposition alliance. The Leader of the Opposition, V. S. Achuthanandan, himself a fierce campaigner against forest encroachments, had to say that there was no question of the LDF supporting encroachments regardless of who advocated the cause of such sections.

Both the CPI and CPI(M) (and even a section of the KC-J) have strong reservations about Mr. Joseph's stand. They are likely to convey their perceptions to the KC(J) leader at the LDF panel meeting tomorrow. Their case has been strengthened by the findings of the Additional Chief Secretary, N. Chandrasekharan Nair, who was asked by the Government to look into the matter. He had found that not a single person evicted from the area possessed valid title deeds.

Mr. Joseph is, however, adamant in his stand that the LDF must conduct an independent inquiry into the matter. He is likely to press for this tomorrow. How the rest of the panel would respond to his plea would have to be seen.

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