MALAPPURAM: A towering figure who moved with ease between politics, literature and public discourse, M P Veerendra Kumar is widely remembered for his intellect and eloquence. Yet, tucked within his long public life is a brief but defining episode that revealed the depth of his convictions.
In 1987, soon after being sworn in as forest minister in the E K Nayanar cabinet, Veerendra Kumar made a striking first move. His inaugural decision was to sign a file imposing a complete ban on tree felling in forests.
Rooted in environmental concern at a time when ecological politics had not yet entered the mainstream, the order sent ripples across the administrative and political establishment. The decision, however, triggered immediate unrest within his own party. Facing intense internal resistance, the leader known for standing firm on principles soon found himself under pressure.
Within just 48 hours of taking oath, he stepped down, marking one of the shortest ministerial tenures in Kerala’s political history. A senior leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which was then the Loktantrik Janata Dal, told TNIE that the resignation was driven as much by internal strife as by policy differences.
“In the 1987 ministry, the party had five MLAs. Of them, Veerendra Kumar and K Chandrashekaran were sworn in as ministers in line with the leadership’s decision. However, the remaining three MLAs, all from southern Kerala, revolted, alleging that preference was given to leaders from the north and demanding representation in the cabinet,” the leader said.
“The rift began within hours of the oath-taking ceremony. Veerendra Kumar was given a reception at Kozhikode the next day. But the developments affected him deeply. Unwilling to trigger a crisis within the party, he announced his resignation on the second night itself, even without consulting the leadership,” he pointed out.
The RJD leader recalled that the blanket ban on tree felling too had drawn strong opposition.
“The forest department itself is learnt to have resisted the move. The order threatened to disrupt timber interests, plantation-linked activities and state revenues, inviting sharp reactions from within the government and beyond. The opposite faction also used this issue to force him to step down from the minister post,” he added.
Following Veerendra Kumar’s resignation, N M Joseph, from the same party, took over as forest minister, and the controversial order was soon withdrawn.