Ottapalam: Days after a Nigeria-returned entrepreneur committed suicide frustrated over a CPM-ruled civic body's delay in issuing an ownership certificate for a Rs 15-crore convention centre he built in Kerala's Kannur district, another shocking incident exposing the CPM leaders' high-handedness has come to light on Monday.
The latest tale is from Ottapalam in Palakkad district, where a quarry owner, who is also a panchayat member, was allegedly made to sign a document stating that he would not contest the polls against the CPM.
He was forced to sign the document which obviously denies his democratic rights like contesting elections and joining a political party of his choice. The conditions laid down in the document (copy is available with Onmanorama) can't stand in any court of law in India but the CPM's clout in the region (it rules the panchayat) is scary enough for any entrepreneur to fall in line.
P A Shoukathali, who is Ottapalam constituency general secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), is one such businessman who succumbed to the alleged pressure tactics by CPM's local leaders to carry on with his quarry business.
Ali is the former president of the Lakkidi Perur panchayat and current member of ward number five.
"Neither my family members nor me would ever contest against the party from the Thekumcherodu ward number four," says the statement given to the CPM local committee in a stamp paper of Rs 100 on July 26, 2018. Following this, he also had to agree to six other conditions written on a sheet of paper. He also had to promise that he would not foster any political ties with the BJP and RSS.
Other conditions that he had to agree were 'helping the council of the CPM-ruled panchayat' and supplying '10 loads of boulders from the quarry to the Mangalam CITU unit every day'.
He also was made responsible 'if the people in the area suffered any accident or losses' due to the quarrying.
Ali is one of the three owners of the crusher unit functioning at Lakkidi Thekumcherodu. The deal was allegedly made to avoid obstacles in the functioning of the quarry excavation and crusher unit.
Ali said that he was forced to sign the document to prevent the quarry from shutting down. "There came a point I had to shut down the quarry. Just because I was a political worker, my partners were also suffering losses and I gave in to the demands. I was forced to sign the document," he added.
Two witnesses have also signed the deal.
However, CPM Lakkidi local secretary T Shibu denied knowledge of any such deal. "I am not aware of the crusher unit owner made to submit any signed document. The party local committee has no knowledge of this. Will inquire about it," he said.
Expatriate businessman Sajen Parayil had killed himself last week after he was disillusioned with constant harassment by Anthoor municipality officials, who refused to give necessary documents for the convention centre.
The family members of Sajen had alleged that ever since they returned from Nigeria to Anthoor in Kannur district they had been listening to scary tales of houses and businesses being destroyed in 'CPM villages' for going against the diktat of the regional leaders.
