Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday held the government, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its feeder organisations responsible for “the deteriorating law and order situation” in the State.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Chennithala said the eviction of illegal encroachers in Wayanad was nothing but a farce scripted by the police and the State administration. Expressing concern at what he termed the attempt of two ruling party MLAs to thwart the police from enforcing the Supreme Court verdict on eviction of encroachers, Mr. Chennithala said their action was deplorable.
Mr. Chennithala also condemned the Students Federation of India-sponsored violence in the Kottayam CMS College. He said the government seemed to be unwilling to put down campus violence, while the police continued to remain mute spectators to the involvement of criminals in campus violence in the name of student politics.
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He said the seizure of huge stock of deadly weapons from prisoners in Kannur Central Jail was shocking. The Home Department should explain how the cache of weapons had found its way into the jail. There had been allegations earlier that the CPI(M) was interfering in prison administration. The situation in the jail was serious enough to warrant an independent and impartial probe into the whole affair, he said.
The KPCC chief alleged that the State administration and the police had also failed in their prime duty of protecting the life and property of people.
In reply to a question, Mr. Chennithala said there was no basis to the CPI(M) leaders' charge that the courts were not responsive to the problems of Scheduled Tribes. “In fact, it is the LDF government which was unresponsive to the problems of these hapless people,” he said.
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The government had failed to carry forward the distribution of land for the landless under the Tribal Mission, he said.
Mr. Chennithala wanted the State government to take steps to extend the validity period of the Kerala Public Service Commission's rank list in the light of the apprehensions expressed by candidates looking forward for a government job. He also expressed concern at the increasing number of viral fever cases and wanted the State government to take effective action to address the issue.