THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Going all out demanding the ouster of Power Minister M M Mani, the Congress will stage protest marches and public meetings at 1,000 centres across the state on Tuesday. Evening dharnas led by Mahila Congress activists will also be held.
An emergency meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the party held here decided to stay on warpath till Mani stepped down, KPCC acting chief M M Hassan told reporters here. “Mani has no right to continue in power after his anti-women posturing, threats and abuse handed out to revenue officers. Through his actions, Mani has violated the oath of secrecy he had taken as a minister,” he said.
The PAC meet said Mani is an anointed son of the strong lobby behind encroachments in the Munnar region and his war of words with the CPI was a subterfuge to spike the eviction drive. “Eviction in Munnar has come to a standstill now. The Revenue and the Police Departments are at logger heads. The all-party meet, which remains mere lip service even after four days since the Chief Minister mooted it, is a CPM ploy to isolate the CPI,” he said.“What is the need for an all-party meet on evictions which can be done under existing laws itself?” Hassan asked.
Congress flays encroachments under the cover of cross
Hassan said the Congress is for stern action against all kinds of encroachments. Taking a divergent stand from the UDF, he said the party didn’t attach any sanctity to encroachments under the cover of the cross. The UDF meet held last week had frowned upon the manner in which the cross at Pappathichola was dismantled. "All sort of encroachments should be evicted,” he said. It is reliably learnt KPCC vice-president V D Satheesan MLA, general secretary P C Vishnunath and Alappuzha DCC president M Liju took a strong position against evictions in the meet.