People's Democracy

C RAJEEVAN (23), an adivasi activist of the DYFI and CPI(M) in Mampallam in Kannur district, was hacked to death by a criminal gang of RSS-BJP on Tuesday April 10, morning. Rajeevan was as usual reading the newspapers at a nearby teashop when a well-armed gang sprang upon him form the backside of the teashop and attacked him with axes. He was hacked several times, on his body on his chest and neck. Rajeevan later succumbed to the serious injuries at Pariyaram Medical College hospital. Naduvil Panchayat observed hartal in protest against the brutal killing, on April 11, and there were also protest demonstrations at all local centres of the Irikkur assembly constituency area.

THE Kerala government announced its decision to adopt a village in Gujarat for full reconstruction, utilizing the proceeds of the chief minister’s Gujarat Earthquake Relief Fund, amounting to Rs 8 crore, and the state government’s contribution of Rs two crore. The village for adoption will be selected in consultation with the Gujarat government by the end of the month.

E K NAYANAR, chief minister of Kerala announced that necessary financial allocation has been accorded to start twenty seven fast track courts from June, to clear off the arrears of cases pending with various sessions courts in the state.

THE main groups of the Congress(I), under the leaderships of K Karunakaran and A K Antony, fought openly at Kovalam, Kerala. K Karunakaran, on arrival here to address an election convention, was ‘greeted’ with foul slogans and was compelled to remain in his car for some time. Later the Karunakaran group came out with similar slogans against Antony and escorted its leader to the hall. Karunakaran said that A K Antony had conspired once to deny him the chief-ministership. Antony did not also consult him on seat sharing with other parties of the UDF. Karunakaran continued that his failure in the last parliament election was also due to the followers of Antony. He said that the present issue is not the number of seats but the attitude of the high command.

Meanwhile, the Karunakaran group informally announced the names of rebel candidates for the constituencies which are to be contested by the A K Antony group. During these days of intense group fights it has also come out that the Congress(I) leaders who had held secret discussions with the BJP were Oomen Chandy, a confidant of Antony, and Sankaranarayanan.

The UDF convenor Cheriyan Philip, the dissident leader of Congress(I) who has now accepted LDF support in opposing Oomen Chandy, got a grand reception at the Puthupally constituency. V S Achuthanandan, LDF convenor, asked the LDF workers to note that the group fights of Congress(I) did not have any real content and they are likely to stand united to oppose the LDF, as has been the case at earlier elections. The two sides are almost sure to yield to last minute directions from the high command. Dr Sukumar Azheekode commented that the national leaders of Congress(I) have lost confidence to even talk to the state leaders, humiliatingly making the high command into a simple low command of disunity.

KERALA finance minister held discussion on April 11 with representatives of workers in the liquor sector and explained the government’s stand on the new liquor policy of completely eliminating contractors from this field. Procurement and sales of foreign liquor and toddy will remain the monopoly of PSUs, and cooperatives of toddy workers respectively. The trade unions also explained their demands of having an apex body, facilities of monthly remittance of taxes and auction kists, etc. The trade unions promised their full support to make the new liquor policy quite effective and full success.