Idukki eviction drive strains CPI(M)-CPI relations in the hill district of Kerala

Revenue department’s purported move to take possession, at least on paper, of two CPI(M) offices and a party-controlled Cooperative Bank at Adimali (as per the provisions of the Kerala Land Conservancy Act) is reportedly at the heart of the “falling out”

Revenue officials after completing the eviction process at Sinkukandam, near Chinnakkanal, on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Revenue department’s special drive to evict “encroachers” from government land in Idukki district of Kerala appears to have emerged as a sore point between two key allies in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

The Communist Party of India (CPI), which holds the Revenue portfolio, came under oblique attack from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leadership in Idukki.

CPI(M) legislator M.M. Mani and the party’s district secretary C.V. Varghese have emerged as the primary opponents to the eviction drive.

The Revenue department’s purported move to take possession, at least on paper, of two CPI(M) offices and a party-controlled Cooperative Bank at Adimali (as per the provisions of the Kerala Land Conservancy Act) was reportedly at the heart of the “falling out”.

The fraught political situation in Idukki has led to a war of words between party leaders in the hill district. Mr. Mani did not mince words on Thursday.

He said the Revenue department should not reckon settler farmers in Idukki encroachers. Subsistence farmers would bear the brunt of the eviction drive. The government should give them time to seek legal recourse against the department’s action.

Mr. Mani demanded that the revenue officials restore the annulled title deeds so farmers could use the documents to move the court against the expulsion notices issued by the District Collector.

He said the Revenue department could not arbitrarily deny citizens to move the court against peremptory actions of officials.

Earlier, CPI leader K.K. Sivaraman had criticised Mr. Mani’s stance. He said Mr. Mani should not turn a blind eye to largescale land grabbers who have illegally claimed thousands of acres in Chinnakanal, Mankulam, Vattavada, Kanthalloor and Wagamon. It prompted Mr. Mani to retort that he would have done better as the Revenue Minister.

Revenue Minister K. Rajan struck a reconciliatory tone to take the edge off the verbal sparring. “There will be no bulldozers or cinematic action as in 2007. The government was not in a hurry to evict anybody. The government was constitutionally bound to complete detailed scrutiny of land ownership in Idukki as directed by the Kerala High Court,” Mr. Rajan said.