THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As chief minister, A K Antony betrayed SNDP Yogam in connection with the police action that took place in Sivagiri in 1995, said the then general secretary of SNDP Yogam, Adv K Gopinathan. He stated that the decision to launch police action in Sivagiri was taken by Antony himself without consulting the Yogam.
Gopinathan was the Congress candidate in 1987 polls in Kayamkulam assembly constituency and was an executive committee member of the KPCC. The revelation came in Gopinathan’s autobiography ‘Njan Ente Jeevitham’ to be published on August 24.
Many seers were injured in the police action and lathicharge. The incident that led to the police action occurred after a dispute erupted between two sections of seers led by Swami Prakasananda and Swami Saswathikananda.“As general secretary of SNDP Yogam, I had informed the then CM Antony that the discussions held between Saswathikananda and Yogam had failed. I also told him that there should not be any police action in Sivagiri in any case. It was the unanimous position of SNDP Yogam and we conveyed that the issue should be resolved through amicable settlement.
However, Antony, who later went to Delhi, directed the police to take action, and he hid it from us. I don’t know why he decided to act that way. Antony who has retired from active politics must reveal the truth at least now,” Gopinathan said in his book.
In the book, Gopinathan describes Antony as a prince of fortune. “Hence, he could sustain without having any concern about others. If this is his principle, it is just a wearable ornament for Antony. After the Sivagiri police action, Antony made a statement which gave the impression that the SNDP Yogam leaders including me supported the government action for some personal interests.
This in turn created a personal crisis for me. After this, I met Aryadan Mohammad and Oommen Chandy and informed them about this. Aryadan’s response was that it was sheer rudeness. When three of us met Antony, he dismissed the charges and told us that he hadn’t said anything like that. Antony also declined Aryadan’s and Oommen Chandy’s request to correct the statement before the media.
Why should I become the enemy of the media? Was it not an act of great betrayal? The only person I wish not to meet on earth is Antony. I challenge Antony to reveal whether I had approached him for anything. If K Karunakaran was the CM at that time, the police action could have been averted,” the book stated.