By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) meeting turned out to be a stormy affair Wednesday as leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) locked horns over the government's anti-encroachment drive in the hill station of Munnar.
Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who belongs to CPI-M, and CPI state secretary Veliyam Bharghavan had a heated exchange of words over the demolition of a part of the CPI office in Munnar.
Bharghavan demanded that the ongoing demolition drive be stopped immediately. Achuthanandan, however, said no.
But the chief minister said that an LDF team, led by front convenor Vaikom Viswan, will be formed to look into CPI's complaint.
A three-member Special Task Force constituted by Achuthanandan has over the last three weeks demolished nearly three dozen resorts in Munnar. Hundreds of acres of encroached land have been reclaimed by the government.
The CPI, the second largest constituent of LDF, was initially supportive of Achuthanandan's drive but was irked when it affected its party office.
Achuthanandan later stressed that the three-member team was indeed doing a good job and was on the right track.
Another issue troubling the CPI was the treatment meted out to former legislator and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) member P. Narayanan by the board.
TDB president C.K. Guptan, son-in-law of legendary Communist leader E.M.S. Nampoothiripad, and Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran have objected to Narayanan using the a vehicle.
On Tuesday, Narayanan found his office at TDB locked and staged a sit-in. The TDB looks after the affairs of temples in south Kerala, including Sabarimala.
The LDF has decided to resolve the matter by initiating talks between the affected parties.