By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Even as the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led Kerala government wages a war against encroachers in the state, allegations that the CPI-M headquarter here is built on encroached government land dominated the assembly session Wednesday.
"It was in 1977, the government allotted land to build a befitting memorial for CPI-M leader A.K. Gopalan. But after measuring the land of the Kerala University campus bordering the AKG Centre, it was found that they have less land than they ought to have. What is really surprising is that we are given to understand that the particular file is missing," said leader of opposition Oommen Chandy.
In 1977, then chief minister A.K. Antony had given 33 cents of land to the CPI-M to build the AKG Centre that is used as the party office. Later, they were given 15 cents of land from Kerala University, right next to the plot previously allotted.
The allegations that the CPI-M headquarters here is using more than the land allotted to it first surfaced in the last week of June.
State Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran Wednesday denied that the CPI-M had encroached any land and said the opposition was raising irrelevant issues for political interests to create a smoke screen.
"In the past three decades the Congress has ruled Kerala many times. Why did they not take any action then by measuring the land," asked Rajendran.
Chandy said: "Once we measure the land and if there is any more land than what there should be, you can regularise it. We don't have any problem."