Tree-felling row: CPI squirms as ex-minister Chandrasekharan owns up for govt order

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI leadership has landed in a quandary after the former revenue minister E Chandrasekharan accepted full responsibility for issuing the government order that led to large-scale illegal felling of trees in Kerala.

Political experts said that Chandrasekharan, a loyal partyman, would never take any action without the approval of the CPI leadership.

Curiously, the CPI is yet to officially discuss the tree-felling issue even one month after it was exposed. Earlier, party state secretary Kanam Rajendran had justified the order after the former revenue and forest ministers and the current revenue minister examined all the files related to the issue in his presence.

However, the latest reports indicate that the then minister had compelled the Revenue Principal Secretary to issue the order. Later, when the provisions of the order were misused to carry out large-scale illegal tree-felling, the order itself was cancelled. Even then, the CPI leadership has claimed that the order was issued for the benefit of farmers and no wrong intentions were involved. The order was based on the recommendations of an all-party meeting convened by the Chief Minister, they added.

Meanwhile, some CPI leaders are now hinting that instructions were received from the Chief Minister's Office to implement the decision taken at the all-party meet.

Incidentally, Kanam tested positive for COVID-19 when the CPI officially decided to discuss the issue. After hospitalization, he is at present taking complete rest for a week.

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